Scientists say they’ve discovered the oldest mummies ever found

Scientists have discovered what are believed to be the oldest mummies in the world, created by smoke-drying some 12,000 years ago.

A study of ancient gravesites in China, the Philippines, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia revealed skeletal remains buried in a curled-up position that were smoke-dried over a fire for extended periods, as part of a mummification and burial process.

The research was published on Monday in the multidisciplinary scientific journal PNAS.

Mummification prevents the body from decaying and was a common technique used to preserve corpses in many cultures, most famously in ancient Egypt, where human remains were embalmed as part of mummification.

The researchers wrote that the mechanism used to smoke the bodies likely did not involve intentional direct bu