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The process of mummification is often associated with the tombs of Ancient Egypt or the dry deserts of Chile. Many people frequently assume that the origin of this burial practice also traces back to these cultures. A new study in PNAS challenges these assumptions by suggesting that the people of southern China and Southeast Asia developed a different approach to this practice by curing bodies over low, smoky fires. Archaeologists recently uncovered evidence that these hunter-gatherers practiced smoke-drying their dead as early as 12,000 years ago. This discovery implies that early human societies were practicing mummification long before the construction...