Between the plastic surgeries and Neverland, some may conclude that Michael Jackson had lost his mind prior to his death. Well, now it’s being taken to literal levels: He’ll likely be buried without his brain.
Apparently, scientists need to remove the pop star’s brain to finish his autopsy. And because it takes about two weeks for a brain to “harden” before it can be examined, if he’s laid to rest before then, his body will have to be buried without it.
Letting a brain “harden” is standard autopsy protocol when the brain is suspected of playing an important part in the death, as it would with a drug overdose. According to Mind Hacks, a neuroscience and psychology blog:
[Hardening] involves removing the brain from the skull and leaving it to soak in a diluted mixture of formaldehyde and water called formalin. This soaking process usually takes four weeks and the brain genuinely does harden. A “fresh” brain is a pinkish colour and has the consistency of jelly, gello or soft tofu meaning it is difficult to examine and the various internal structures are often hard to make out.
After soaking the brain, it has the consistency and colour of canned mushrooms making it easier to slice, examine and photograph. However, because the brain is so soft to start with, it can’t just be dropped in a tank of fixing solution, because it will deform under its own weight.
To solve the problem it is usually suspended upside down in a large bucket of formalin by a piece of string which is tied to the [brain's] basilar artery. After it has ‘hardened’ or ‘fixed’ it is sliced to look for clear damage to either the tissue or the arteries. Small sections can also be kept to examine under the microscope.
In an autopsy like this, the scientists will be looking for long- and short-term brain damage.
On the other hand, maybe some might speculate it’s all a ploy to figure out if the King of Pop was actually cloned.
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Image: flickr / aigarius
July 8th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
There is a major poll running over at http://www.tinyurl.com/evilgood as to whether Michael Jackson was good or evil. Evil is currently in the lead! I think this poll is being recorded in some sort of record book, anyways, everybody go vote for good!
July 8th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
The real question is how this man got his skin color to change so drastically. Apparently examiners are finding the man really was as white as he appeared, with very little make-up. Did he get some kind of underground gene therapy in another country or what? His DNA should be preserved for science.
July 8th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Well Jumblepudding, Michael has said that he has vitiligo which run on his father’s side of the family and cause a person to lose pigment on places or in some all over. You can see in some older photos the spotting on his neck and hands. Some people cover it with makeup to match the color their skin once was which MJ did too in the beginning but if it spreads too much some opt to get a treatment to remove most of the remaining pigment ( does not involve bathing in clorox!) to even themselves out which Michael chose. for more info to replace the ignorance look on you tube under MJ Vitiligo there are some very informative videos about the condition.
July 9th, 2009 at 12:13 am
i would like to know if it is really mj who died beacause i found two sights and i do think that they make very good sense too that the london confreneve was an imposter i will give you the links to look at i would like to know if it was man who had face work done to look like him who was already dying or if it was a clone and also weather the person they are laying to rest is him cause there are alot of stories leaking all over i am really inlove with michael always have been i support hiim no matter what but to many changing stories on how he died and changes with doctors and info here are the 2 sights i read it is amazing info
http://derekclontz.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/michael-jackson-faked-his-death-say-sources-with-comeback-tour-to-be-biggest-ever/
email me boydfamly@yahoo.com
http://www.michaeljacksonhoaxdeath.com/
July 9th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Thank you!
I’m so sick and tired of the media coverage on this Michael Jackson’s brain thing. It’s plastered all over the news stands, as if it were something spectacular and odd.
July 9th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
tara boyd = frikkin’ hilarious.
July 10th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Tara Boyd you are a loser. This man was sick and twisted!! He admitted to sleeping with 12 year old boys… Oh yeah he faked his death, he’s scheduled for a tee time for golf with Elvis and Tupac
July 10th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Mike S…you are ignorant. The man has never admitted to molesting children. Second, Any loving mother would want a man who molested their child in Jail and would not settle for any amount of money. That’s why I don’t believe he did it. You can see in his eyes and actions the man had a huge heart , and with all the people that surrounded him constantly, I am more than sure that someone would have said and done something to stop it. He was an easy target for people to scam because he was vulnerable and gullible. The media and tabloids are responsible for ruining his career. And I am positive that a licensed doctor can tell whether it is Michael Jackson from DNA, after all they are doing an Autopsy and they are in fact Real Doctors. This whole fake his death thing is a sick as the people who think Elvis is still alive. Elvis’ daughter found him dead, but people still think the man is alive. The people spreading these rumors are the ones that are sick, they should seek professional help and need to focus on their on lives. Stop wasting your money buying and reading tabloids, you’re making evil people richer and destroying the lives of good people.
July 10th, 2009 at 11:53 am
[...] Content: Discoblog: Why Michael Jackson Might Be Buried Without His Brain Discoblog: Military Members to Donate Their Brains to Science Discoblog: Will Drilling a Hole in [...]
July 12th, 2009 at 10:02 am
J. Berry – well said! There are too many vocal selfish idiots around. They flourish on the unfortunate situation of others. Peace.
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Ick!
August 11th, 2009 at 10:14 am
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November 1st, 2009 at 8:09 pm
I LOVE YOU MICHAEL, AND I MISS YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMUCH…