Boffins have uncovered the world’s oldest mummies and found they were preserved with unusual method – smoking them like BBQ brisket. A study released on Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences analysed 54 pre-Neolithic burials from 11 archaeological locations throughout Southeastern Asia. Most of the specimens originated from Vietnam and China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. “We found that in southern China and Southeast Asia, there were many archaeological sites that contain human burials that are between four and 14,000 years old,” study co-author Professor Peter Bellwood told NBC News. The human remains were discovered in tightly hunched or crouching positions . The research revealed that numerous flexed and crouching burials appeared to have been smoke-dried above flames. Experts stated this mummification technique was comparable to methods documented in certain Australian and Highland New Guinea communities, reports the Express US . “Some of the analyzed archaeological samples represent the oldest known instances of such artificial mummification in the world,” the study said. “Their contorted postures, often with traces of burning, present interpretive challenges.” Professor Bellwood suggested the human remains most likely belonged to “an original hunter-gatherer population that occupied south-east Asia in paleolithic times, and that continued in occupation in places like Australia and New Guinea through into current times”. Earlier this year, boffins probing the alien mummies from Peru claim to have found that one of them was pregnant. Dr David Ruiz Vela and journalist Jois Mantilla say they discovered a fetus inside the womb of one of the corpses. The pair made the bizarre discovery inside a mummy named Montserrat while analysing the remains at a radiology centre in Lima. They believe the ET died 1,200 years ago when she was less than 30 weeks pregnant. CT scans show the baby alien lying on its back, with its head down near the belly. Mantilla said: “I observed the position of the hands, as if she had wanted to protect her gestating belly. “One hand above and one below. The abdomen dried out, lost hydration, and became almost flat, but the hands remained in that position.” He said scans showed the fetus had dried out within the womb over time. The mummies have been called “tridactyl” due to their three-fingered hands, an unusual trait that has fueled speculation about their origin as having extraterrestrial or reptilian ancestry. They were later found to have metal implants in their three-fingered hands and elongated heads. For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters .

Original source: gb