Scientists have determined that the declining condition of some of the world’s oldest mummies in Arica, Chile can be attributed to rising humidity levels that encourage bacterial activity on the specimens’ skin.

The world’s oldest mummies appear to be suffering from today’s changes in climate. 


Local scientists became concerned when they noticed that the well-preserved, 7,000-plus year old specimens from the Chinchorro culture in Chile and Peru had began to rapidly degrade over the past decade, including developing a black ooze. 


As a result, archeologists at the museum of the University of Tarapacá in Arica, Chile worked with scientists from Harvard University, among others, to figure out the origin o