Only 15 cm long: scientist claims to have solved the secret of the 'alien' skeleton

In 2003, the skeleton of a tiny creature that looked like an alien was found in the Chilean Atacama Desert. The skeleton, about 15 centimetres long, was named "Ata".

Scientists spent many years solving the mystery. And finally, the results of the study were published. The details were reported by Ladbible.

Due to its strange appearance, Ata was long considered an alien creature. But recently, scientists said it was time to put an end to dubious theories. They found out the origin of the remains.

A radiologist, after conducting a study, said that the bones of "Ata" are similar in structure and maturity to those of a six-year-old child. However, the tiny size of the skeleton and the conical shape of the skull had long confused scientists.

Conspiracy theorists immediately became active, loudly declaring that Ata "was undoubtedly an unearthly creature, and that humanity must determine how it came to our planet."

Harry Nolan, an immunologist at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, concluded that Ata's DNA came from a human, not an alien.

"Once we knew it was human, the next step was to understand how it could look like that," Nolan commented, referring to the "alien" appearance of Ata.

The genome of Ata was studied by researchers from Stanford and biologists from the University of California, San Francisco. They found that genetic mutations were present in seven genes related to growth.

Nolan hypothesised that it was a gene mutation that led to such serious skeletal abnormalities. According to him, the skeleton was probably born dead or died immediately after birth and definitely belongs to a human.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL reported that NASA scientists voiced a theory as to why aliens have not yet made contact with humanity.

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