By Stefan Nicola
Bloomberg News
BERLIN — The world’s oldest mummies (click here) are at risk of disappearing because of
man-made climate change, according to a group of Harvard University
scientists.
Bodies mummified about 7,000 years ago in Chile are starting to degrade rapidly, the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences said Monday in an e-mailed statement. Tests by Harvard’s Alice DeAraujo and Ralph Mitchell show that microbes that flourish in an increasingly humid climate are turning the preserved remains of Chinchorro hunter-gatherers into “black ooze.”
“Is there a scientific answer to protect these important historic objects from the devastating effects of climate change?” said Mitchell. “It’s almost a forensic problem.”...
Bodies mummified about 7,000 years ago in Chile are starting to degrade rapidly, the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences said Monday in an e-mailed statement. Tests by Harvard’s Alice DeAraujo and Ralph Mitchell show that microbes that flourish in an increasingly humid climate are turning the preserved remains of Chinchorro hunter-gatherers into “black ooze.”
“Is there a scientific answer to protect these important historic objects from the devastating effects of climate change?” said Mitchell. “It’s almost a forensic problem.”...
