Compared with them, Egypt's mummies may be just kiddies

Scientists have discovered what's thought to be the oldest known mummies in the world in southeastern Asia dating back up to 12,000 years.

- BY ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN

Mummification prevents decay by preserving dead bodies. The process can happen naturally in places such as the sands of Chile’s Atacama Desert or the bogs of Ireland where conditions can fend off decomposition. Humans across various cultures also mummified their ancestors through embalming to honor them or send their souls to the afterlife.

Egypt's mummies may be the most well-known, but until now some of the oldest mummies were prepared by a fishing people called the Chinchorro about 7,000 years ago in what’s now Peru and Chile.