The mysterious mummy survived for thousands of years, suddenly ... liquefied

The mystery of this liquefied mummy really makes the headache for scientists to find a solution.

In 2016, gradually liquefying unknown causes, researchers at that time found a headache to prevent.

Specifically, more than 100 mummies dating back at least 7,000 years suddenly liquefied into a black paste (black goo).

In 2015 local authorities filed a petition with the UNESCO Cultural Agency to recognize these mummies as world cultural heritage before they were destroyed.

An intact mummy at the museum San Miguel de Azapa.

However, it is also impossible for UNESCO to save the status of these mummies. However, researchers want to adopt this call to the attention of the international community, thereby helping them find solutions.

Since the early 1900s, nearly 300 human mummies have been discovered along the coast of southern Peru and northern Chile, including adults, children, babies and even fetuses.

With a date of 5050 BC, this is considered to be the date.

According to the study, these mummies were carried out by the Chinchorro hunter-gatherer group, who used the pre-embalming technique of the ancient Egyptians for about 2,000 years.

In Egypt, the mummies are found in the tombs of Pharaoh.

While the ancient Egyptian mummies were all Pharaohs or the upper class society, the Chinchorro mummy could be all subjects, from civilians to nobles, this shows the commune Chinchorro at that time was quite equal

Why do mummies suddenly liquefy?

The reason why these mummies are so amazingly preserved is because for thousands of years they have been buried under deep sand in the Atacama desert - a place on Earth that is unaffected by the rain. for over 400 years.

In the past century, these mummies have been excavated and relocated to local research institutes for preservation.

In early 2015, things began to deteriorate, Chilean conservationists had to ask the help of Harvard University scientists.

Ralph Mitchell, a Harvard biologist at the time, said: "We know the mummies are degraded but no one knows why. We have never seen such a decomposition before."

A mummy at the museum San Miguel de Azapa.

However, the study of mummy tissue samples showed a lot of crawling bacteria below - but they are not ancient bacteria, they are bacteria that normally live on human skin. They accelerate the decomposition of mummies. So the mucus type when the mummified liquid is initially thought to be due to the strong growth of bacteria inside the mummy .

Mitchell told Live Science: "As soon as the proper temperature and humidity appear, they start using the skin as a food." Mitchell adds unless local researchers can keep Chinchorros mummies under proper temperature and humidity conditions, otherwise these native microorganisms will re-feed the mummy immediately.

There is currently no announcement that UNESCO will accept the proposal but, hopefully, local researchers will find the help they need to preserve this mummy.

Because the Chinchorro's embalming techniques existed for 2,000 years before the ancient Egyptians, it is too extraordinary and now we cannot let them be destroyed like that.