Remains of a 2,600-year-old man was found in the United Kingdom. When they found his body his mouth and 2 vertebrae were still intact. When the crew started to clean the skull, they found that there was more than dirt inside the skull. They found some yellow spongey material. It was later confirmed that the material was astoundingly well-preserved brain material. The brain material contained folds and was intact. This brain material dated back to about 482 to 673 BC. Brains that are not intentionally preserved breaks down very quickly. This is because of a process known as autolysis. After death enzymes break down the brain tissue. The brain is made of about 80% water this contributes to a rapid degeneration of the brain. Now scientists have figured out what led this brain to remain intact for 2,600 years without any intentional preservation. Research at University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology found out that GFAP (a protein) supported preservation of the brain. Typical GFAP is prevalent in the brain’s inner area (white matter). However, in the case of the 2,600-year-old man, the GFAP were found in the outside (the grey matter). The implication of this is that the process of autolysis was deactivated leading to the preservation of the brain.
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