science: This desert region has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO to help save the remains, however, this may not be enough. The world’s oldest mummies in Chile are at risk of decaying due to climate change. These ancient remains are even older than the mummies of the pharaohs and their decorated tombs in Egypt. According to Bernando Arriaza, a professor at the University of Tarapaca, the ancient Chiconoro people living in Chile’s Atacama Desert began mummifying their dead about 5,000 years ago, while the Egyptians began doing so much later in about 2600 BC. Since then, the desert has preserved mummies and other ancient remains and given archaeologists important information about the Chiconoro people. According to archaeologists, the idea of preserving bodies as mummies came from the natural process of the dead in the dry conditions of the desert. The mummies were also decorated with clay masks, reed blankets, human hair and other items.The desert region has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site to help preserve the remains, however, that may not be enough. While the ancient city of Arica has several museums that display the remains of the Chinchorro culture in climate-controlled exhibits, the remaining antiquities that are still buried in the arid desert are at risk.”If we increase the sea surface temperature, for example, off the coast of northern Chile, that will increase atmospheric humidity,” said Claudio Latorre, a paleo-ecologist at the Catholic University of Chile. “And that will result in decomposition in places where decomposition doesn’t occur today, and you will lose mummies.” “Human-caused climate change is one aspect that we’re really concerned about, because it will change a lot of the aspects that make up the desert today,” Latorre said. Arriaza has been advocating for the preservation of the mummies and working to raise awareness on the issue. “It’s a huge challenge because you need resources,” Arriaza said. “It’s an effort by everyone for a common goal, to preserve the site, to preserve the mummies.” TAGSOLDESTMUMMIESCLIMATEDANGERRESEARCHOLDESTMUMMIESCLIMATEDANGERRESEARCHJanta Se Rishta NewsJanta Se RishtaToday’s Latest NewsHindi NewsIndia NewsSeries of NewsToday’s Breaking NewsToday’s Big NewsMid Day NewspaperJanta Se Rishta NewsJanta Se RishtaToday’s Latest NewsINDI NEWSINDIA NEWSKHABRON KA SILSILATODAY’S
oldest mummies threatened by climate Research
