As per archaeologists, oldest human brain in the UK is said to be preserved for more than 2,500 years using mud. In 2008, the brain was found inside a decapitated skull. When it was found, the jaw and two vertebrate were still attached to it.

Researchers have carried out radiocarbon dating on a sample of the jaw bone. Its assessment has found that it was of the person who used to live in the 6th century BC and is probably to be a man between 26 and 45 years old.

Since its discovery, a team of 34 experts have been working on this rare finding and are making efforts to conserve it. York Archaeological Trust affirmed that the examination carried out on the vertebrae in the neck unveiled that the person was first hit hard on the ground and then its neck was cut with a small sharp knife.

The skull was buried in wet, clay-rich ground. For now, the researchers have been unable to know the exact reason of the survival. The skull was discovered face down in a pit and when it was cleaned, the brain was found inside.

“I peered through the hole at the base of the skull to investigate and to my surprise saw a quantity of bright yellow spongy material. It was unlike anything I had seen before”, affirmed Rachel Cubitt, collection projects officer.

As per the researchers, after the person was killed, the head was removed from the body very quickly. Over the time, the skin, hair and the flesh of the skull disappeared. But the fats and proteins of the brain tissues led to the formation of a mass of large complex molecules. This phenomenon led to brain shrinkage.

It also led to the preservation of microscopic features that are found in brain tissues only. Because there was oxygen present in the brain, it remained protected and preserved.