Posted in: Odd News Posted: May 8, 2015 Global Warming Is Also Damaging To The Dead, Claims Harvard Scientist

image: http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Egyptian-Mummies-665x385.jpg

There’s always been a lot of contention about the reality of global warming, such as the damage it’s done and doing, is it man-made, will it mean more sunny weather, and perhaps most bizarre of all, “Will it help me achieve the perfect natural tan?” However, one question which has never been asked, let alone answered before is, “Is global warming damaging to the dead?”

The answer would appear to be a resounding yes! At least according to Harvard scientist Ralph Mitchell, who believes mummies in museums are disintegrating at an alarming rate due to climate change.

The Daily Express reports that the world’s oldest mummies are melting, and archeologists are facing a frantic dash against the clock to protect some of archaeology’s most exciting finds.

In particular, the collection of Chinchorro mummies, with a pedigree of 5,000 BC, are at risk from direct exposure to the elements after their preserved skin didn’t just go a violent shade of lobster red, it turned into black slime.

The Chinchorro mummies may sound like a small town mother and toddler group, but these “mothers” are seriously old. The were found buried beneath the volcanic sands of the Atacama Desert around 100 years ago.

Because that volcanic region along the north Chilean coast receives hardly any rainfall, these mighty mummies were discovered virtually intact. For the first 90 years after their discovery, they hardly showed any signs of wear and tear.

But in the last few years, these mummies have started to really show their age and deteriorate in a big way. Staff at the University of Tarapaca museum where the 120 mummies are exhibited have noticed that the skin of many of these exhibits is turning into a kind of black sludge,

Realizing they needed help to prevent the mummies from decaying even further, the museum’s curator Mariela Santos contacted Harvard scientist Ralph Mitchell — a specialist in the field of why relics disintegrate.

Mitchell came to the conclusion that the germs eating the mummies “alive” were common microorganisms and craven consumers of collagen, which had multiplied at a rapid rate in the last decade as a consequence of humidity levels caused by global warming.

Mitchell believes museum curators worldwide should now be on their toes and vigilant for the first signs not just of “mummy rot,” but damage to other prized artefacts and objects which could result from global warming.

“How broad a phenomenon this is, we don’t really know. The Arica case is the first example I know of deterioration caused by climate change. But there is no reason to think it is not damaging heritage materials everywhere. It’s affecting everything else.”

[Photo via Getty Images]

Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/2074512/global-warming-is-also-damaging-to-the-dead-claims-harvard-scientist/#4Ciuj31Ub4GLeLXJ.99