Ancient brains: Rare finds and past lives

Ancient brains: Rare finds and past lives

In this eye-opening episode, you'll learn about brains that really have stood the test of time — from a 300-million-year-old fish to a 2,000-year-old human head buried in Yorkshire farmland. The show brings together archaeologists, palaeontologists and conservation scientists to talk through two rare finds: a fossilised brain replica inside an ancient fish skull and shrunken brain tissue preserved in a decapitated human skull.

It's science-heavy, but presented in a relaxed, conversational way that keeps things engaging even if you haven't opened a biology textbook since school. French palaeontologist Philippe Janvier walks through how his team spotted a "white ghost" inside a fish skull using synchrotron CT scans and eventually realised, after years of doubt, that they were looking at the oldest fossil brain yet described.

He jokes that it's "a good fish brain", then explains why its large optic lobes and small cerebellum suggest a sluggish bottom-dweller with big eyes and limited swimming skills. The story then shifts to northern England, where archaeologist Richard Hall recalls the shock of finding a lone skull in an Iron Age farm landscape, still packed with mud.

Thanks to finds officer Rachel Cubitt remembering an old lecture, that mud turned out to hide something extraordinary: orangey material inside the skull that neurologist Philip Duffy and conservation specialist Sonia O'Connor now recognise as ancient brain. O'Connor shares how previous medieval brains once stumped pathologists who insisted such tissue "wouldn't survive to burial", and how CT imaging, protein studies and careful storage help confirm that this strange tofu-like material really is brain.

Throughout, there's a strong sense of connection to past lives — as Hall says, "we're dealing with a dead human here, a person that had a life" — which gives the science an emotional edge. If you enjoy mind science with a side of mystery and a touch of dark humour, this one might get you thinking about what else is still hidden beneath our feet.