article_snippet: some mummies buried more than 7,000 years ago in the arid desert of northern Chile are being turned into black slime by climate change.
article_snippet: Scientists have found that growing humidity can cause an explosion of bacteria living on the preserved skin of some mummies.
article_snippet: bacteria living on the preserved skin of the Chinchorro mummies then feeds on preserved skin, causing bacteria living on the preserved skin of the Chinchorro mummies to break down into a black slime.
article_snippet: The preserved skin on the outside of Chinchorro mummies in Arica, northern Chile, have begun to rapidly degrade as bacteria and humid air is turning bacteria living on the preserved skin of the Chinchorro mummies into  black slime, as can be seen in the photograph above .
article_snippet: It is very important to get more information about what’s causing this and to get the university and national government to do what’s necessary to preserve the Chinchorro mummies for the future.'
article_snippet: The skin on the head of this Chinchorro mummy at the San Miguel de Azapa Museum in Arica, Chile has begun to break down due to the damage being caused by bacteria growing as humidity in the area increases .
article_snippet: Scientists at the San Miguel de Azapa Museum in Arica first noticed black slimy patches appearing on the preserved skin of An estimated 282 mummies around ten years ago.
article_snippet: As time has gone on Scientists at the University of Tarapacá museum have degraded at 'an alarming rate' as the preserved skin has broken down into a black slime.
article_snippet: Researchers at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences found that bacteria normally found growing on the human skin appeared to become 'supercharged' when placed on mummy skin in high humidity.
highlights_snippet: In the past ten years black wet patches have appeared on some mummies .
  
highlights_snippet: Scientists found bacteria on preserved skin is breaking some mummies down .
  
highlights_snippet: Rising humidity levels in the region have 'supercharged' the skin bacteria .
  
highlights_snippet: Rising humidity levels in the region are then causing preserved skin to break down into black slime .
  