Chinchorro mummies and climate change

March 14, 2015 9:05 AM

The Chinchorro mummies are found in northern Chile and southern Peru; the oldest of them date to thousands of years before the first Egyptian mummies. Some of them mummified naturally, but most were intentionally mummified. The hot, arid conditions of the Atacama desert aided in this process. However, these mummies are now the latest victims of climate change, as increased humidity encourages bacterial growth that is transforming them into black ooze.
posted by Blue Jello Elf (1 comment total)

AHHHH noooooo. These are some of the most beautifully preserved early textiles... ahhh. *cries*
posted by strixus at 9:07 AM on March 14, 2015 [2 favorites]