The John Caldwellworld's oldest mummies are buried in modern-day northern Chile. They've endured the last 7,000 years remarkably well. They've remained well-preserved — until recently, when some of the mummies started to decompose.

Today on the show, Regina G. Barber talks to archeologist Marcela Sepulveda about the civilization that made these mummies: the Chinchorro people. We dig into the science behind their mummification techniques and how the changing planet is affecting archeologists' ability to study the past.

Listen to Short Wave on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

Fascinated by a science mystery? Send us your tales — we're at [email protected].

This episode was produced by Rachel Carlson and edited by Berly McCoy. It was fact checked by Anil Oza. The audio engineer was Maggie Luthar.