 Petrone et al./NEJM
Anything that has the ability to cause the average global temperature to go up instantly, is something worth noting. And that’s just what happened when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE.
There has been some new research come out about just how hot it may have been. In a new short paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, some 100 skeletons that had been excavated were closely examined revealed that one particular victim’s brain matter had been vitrified, i.e., fused into glass.
Usually, according to the authors, such brain matter would be “saponified” by the extreme heat—that is, it turned to soap (glycerol and fatty acids).
While not everyone agrees with the findings in the paper, we do know one thing: Mount Vesuvius was HOT!
Interested in learning more be sure to check out: ars Technica for more.