mummification

Type: Concept

As of November 2026, mummification has been mentioned in 3 episodes across 2 podcasts, first heard Dec 2025 on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard. The episode explains how the Atacama’s dryness and local cultural practices could preserve remains with tissue attached.

A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay further if kept in cool and dry conditions. Some authorities restrict the use of the term to bodies deliberately embalmed with chemicals, but the use of the word to cover accidentally desiccated bodies goes back to at least the early 17th century.