Atacama ‘alien’ had terrestrial origins

CHILE: When a bizarre

15-centimetre skeleton was discovered buried in a leather pouch behind an abandoned church in the Atacama Desert in Chile in

2003, it baffled the world.

The tiny figure had a coneshaped head, the bones of a 6-yearold, and 10 pairs of ribs instead of the usual 12, leading to speculation that its origin could be extraterrestrial.

But after detailed genetic analysis of the little mummy – nicknamed Ata – scientists have concluded that its place of origin is definitely planet Earth.

Tests conducted by experts at Stanford University and the University of California have confirmed that the skeleton is human and female. They concluded that the baby, who was born with a catalogue of genetic mutations, probably did not survive long after birth.

Dr Garry Nolan, professor of microbiology and immunology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, began the scientific exploration of Ata in 2012, when a friend called to say he might have found an alien.

Ata was found in northern Chile by Oscar Munoz, who sold the remains to Ramon Navia-Osorio, a Spanish businessman who believed the mummy could be evidence of alien life.

‘‘You couldn’t look at this specimen and not think it’s interesting. It’s quite dramatic,’’ Nolan said. ‘‘So I told my friend, ‘Look, whatever it is, if it’s got DNA, I can do the analysis’.’’

Nolan and his team took DNA from bone marrow in Ata’s ribs, and compared it with human and primate genomes. He said 2 per cent of the DNA could not be matched with human DNA, but this was due to degradation of the sample rather than evidence of extraterrestrial biology.

Further tests showed that the mummy was indeed human and female, with a mix of Native American and European ancestry typical of the region of Chile where it was found. Judging from its intact condition, Nolan said, the baby girl’s remains were probably no more than 40 years old.

Researchers next looked for genetic clues that could explain Ata’s small stature, multiple bone and skull abnormalities, abnormal rib count, and premature bone age. They turned up a number of mutations in seven genes that separately or in combinations contributed to bone deformities, facial malformation and dwarfism.

Nolan believes further research into Ata’s speedy bone ageing could one day benefit patients, via accelerated bone growth.

He said he hoped that one day Ata would be given a proper burial.

A tiny ‘‘alien’’ skeleton found behind an abandoned church in Chile is that of a baby girl born with several deformities about 40 years ago, scientists say.