Oxford researchers uncover remarkable archive of ancient human brains

Over 1,300 of the human brains were the only soft tissues preserved, prompting questions as to why the brain may persist when other organs perish. These ancient brains provide a significant opportunity for unique insights into the early evolution of our species, such as the roles of ancient diseases. Whether those circumstances are environmental, or related to the brain’s unique biochemistry, is the focus of our ongoing and future work. The untapped archive of 4,400 human brains described in this study may provide new and unique insights into our history, helping us to better understand ancient health and disease, and the evolution of human cognition and behaviour. The study ‘Human brains preserve in diverse environments for at least 12,000 years’ has been published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.