Climate change is turning ancient mummies into 'black ooze'
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Researchers at Harvard University believe that some of the world's oldest mummies may be the latest casualty of man-made climate change.
Scientists from Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences told Bloomberg that a group of bodies mummified in Chile 7,000 years ago are deteriorating, and climate change is to blame.
Harvard's Ralph Mitchell explained that microbes that thrive in human climates are turning the bodies, which are the remains of Chinchorro hunter-gatherers, into "black ooze." And the deterioration process has accelerated over the last 10 years.
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Is there a scientific answer to protect these important historic objects from the devastating effects of climate change?" Mitchell said to Bloomberg. "It's almost a forensic problem."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
