The brain is well preserved 4,000 years

A 4,000-year-old human brain has just been discovered by scientists in western Turkey in a well-preserved condition.

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According to scientists at Halic University, Turkey, this brain is like a diary that provides many prehistoric intellectual clues. In addition to the brain, scientists also found several skeletons in the nearby area. Observing the burnt bones in the sediment layer, the team said an earthquake struck the area, burying many people before the fire covered the rubble.

The 4,000-year-old brain (right) is relatively intact compared to a normal brain.(Photo: LiveScience)

"This state of preservation and age of the brain is remarkable , " LiveScience quoted Frank Ruhli, a brain specialist at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. According to scientists, the flame absorbs oxygen and vaporizes the water in the brain. The absence of oxygen and moisture has helped the brain preserve for millennia.

Another important factor that helps preserve the brain over thousands of years is a strip of rich in potassium, magnesium and aluminum. When these chemicals react with fatty acids in human tissues, they form adipocere, a material wax that helps preserve human body parts.

According to the team, this is not the first brain to exist for thousands of years, but it may be the oldest brain ever. Two years ago, scientists also found a brain dating back to 2,600 years in a water-depleted swamp and oxygen.

Ruhli argues that the study of the brain could provide more information about diseases such as cancer and ancient degeneration."If we want to study more about the history of neurological disorders, we need to have these brains," he added.