The Fossil Brain

Schepers, G. W. H.

doi:10.2307/3886422

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…After this initial diagnosis, Dart and a few others continued to use this name in reference to Makapansgat fossil and faunal interpretations for the next 14 years (e.g., Boné & Dart, ; Broom, ; Dart, ,b,c, ,b, , , , , ; Mason, ; Schepers, ; Tobias, ). As we will discuss below, Dart changed his interpretation of the fossil sample after 1955, and the name Au.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Australopithecus prometheus is a nomen nudum

Berger

Hawks

2018

American J Phys Anthropol

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Australopithecus prometheus is a nomen nudum

Berger

Hawks

2018

American J Phys Anthropol

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“…Taken together the data presented in this study on protein stability from the unique find of a preserved prehistoric human brain [6] is of mutual benefit to the fields of protein biomarker research [2,20,24,25,35], medicine [3,26,34], structural and functional proteomics [14,18], biomedical applications [1] and archaeology [6,10,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…The preservation of this human brain tissue remains a mystery as decomposition and autolysis starts within minutes after death [8,9]. Compared to other body parts such as bones [10], autolysis is particularly rapid in the brain, which consists of 80% water [9,11]. Biochemically, autolysis is caused by the massive activation of proteases and phospholipases, destroying the molecular structure of lipids and proteins [8,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within 36-72 h, putrefaction starts and complete skeletonization results within 5-10 years [12,13]. In conclusion, the preservation of human brain proteins at ambient temperature should not be possible for millennia in free nature [4,5,7,8,[11][12][13]. For this reason, taxonomic studies of the brain of human evolutionary descent relied until recently mainly on the discussion of skull fragments and teeth [10,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Protein aggregate formation permits millennium-old brain preservation

Petzold

Groves

et al. 2020

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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Human proteins have not been reported to survive in free nature, at ambient temperature, for long periods. Particularly, the human brain rapidly dissolves after death due to auto-proteolysis and putrefaction. The here presented discovery of 2600-year-old brain proteins from a radiocarbon dated human brain provides new evidence for extraordinary long-term stability of non-amyloid protein aggregates. Immunoelectron microscopy confirmed the preservation of neurocytoarchitecture in the ancient brain, which appeared shrunken and compact compared to a modern brain. Resolution of intermediate filaments (IFs) from protein aggregates took 2–12 months. Immunoassays on micro-dissected brain tissue homogenates revealed the preservation of the known protein topography for grey and white matter for type III (glial fibrillary acidic protein, GFAP) and IV (neurofilaments, Nfs) IFs. Mass spectrometry data could be matched to a number of peptide sequences, notably for GFAP and Nfs. Preserved immunogenicity of the prehistoric human brain proteins was demonstrated by antibody generation (GFAP, Nfs, myelin basic protein). Unlike brain proteins, DNA was of poor quality preventing reliable sequencing. These long-term data from a unique ancient human brain demonstrate that aggregate formation permits for the preservation of brain proteins for millennia.

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“…The quality of obtained tissue specimens is a major concern, especially in the case of brain banking. Neural tissue is particularly sensitive to environmental changes and starts to rapidly decompose after death [99,100]. Several factors affect the quality of brain samples, such as post-mortem interval, pH value, and the grading of autolytic degradation of the granule cell layer [101,102].…”

Section: Sample Acquisition and Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Man’s best friend in life and death: scientific perspectives and challenges of dog brain banking

et al. 2021

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Biobanking refers to the systematic collection, storage, and distribution of pre- or post-mortem biological samples derived from volunteer donors. The demand for high-quality human specimens is clearly demonstrated by the number of newly emerging biobanking facilities and large international collaborative networks. Several animal species are relevant today in medical research; therefore, similar initiatives in comparative physiology could be fruitful. Dogs, in particular, are gaining increasing attention in translational research on complex phenomena, like aging, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, biobanks gathering and storing dog biological materials together with related data could play a vital role in translational and veterinary research projects. To achieve these aims, a canine biobank should meet the same standards in sample quality and data management as human biobanks and should rely on well-designed collaborative networks between different professionals and dog owners. While efforts to create dog biobanks could face similar financial and technical challenges as their human counterparts, they can widen the spectrum of successful collaborative initiatives towards a better picture of dogs’ physiology, disease, evolution, and translational potential. In this review, we provide an overview about the current state of dog biobanking and introduce the “Canine Brain and Tissue Bank” (CBTB)—a new, large-scale collaborative endeavor in the field.

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The Fossil Brain

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Australopithecus prometheus is a nomen nudum

Australopithecus prometheus is a nomen nudum

Protein aggregate formation permits millennium-old brain preservation

Man’s best friend in life and death: scientific perspectives and challenges of dog brain banking

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