Oxford Sparks Big Questions

How do you fossilise a brain?

Listen on

Episode notes

When you think of fossils, you probably imagine dinosaurs. But did you know that soft body parts, like the brain, can become fossils too? 

In this episode, forensic anthropologist Alexandra Morton-Hayward explores the science of brain fossilisation. Skeletons have been found in wells, Incan temples, salt mines and many other unusual locations, often with no other organs, hair or skin preserved. With only a brain nested in the skull, we are asking … how can this happen?

Listen now to find out and discover how this research is unravelling ancient human history!