Ata is the common name given to the long skeletal remains of a human

fetus A fetus or foetus (; : fetuses, foetuses, rarely feti or foeti) is the unborn offspring of a viviparous animal that develops from an embryo. Following the embryonic development, embryonic stage, the fetal stage of development takes place. Pren ...

found in 2003 in the

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

of La Noria, in the

Atacama Desert The Atacama Desert () is a desert plateau located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of South America, in the north of Chile. Stretching over a strip of land west of the Andes Mountains, it covers an area of , which increases to if the barre ...

of Chile. DNA analysis done in 2018 on the premature human fetus identified unusual mutations associated with

dwarfism Dwarfism is a condition of people and animals marked by unusually small size or short stature. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dwarfism is . '' ...

and

scoliosis Scoliosis (: scolioses) is a condition in which a person's Vertebral column, spine has an irregular curve in the coronal plane. The curve is usually S- or C-shaped over three dimensions. In some, the degree of curve is stable, while in others ...

, though these findings were later disputed. The remains were found by Oscar Muñoz, who later sold them; the current owner is Ramón Navia-Osorio, a Spanish businessman.

Overview

DNA analysis Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

on the premature human fetus identified unusual mutations associated with dwarfism and scoliosis, although other research contested genetic abnormalities, finding that the skeleton showed normal fetal development. There is unfounded speculation by people such as UFO theorist Steven M. Greer that Ata is an extraterrestrial. Such speculation led to Ata's inclusion in the 2013 UFO film ''

Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word (Latin script: ), meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbr ...

'' and captured the attention of Stanford University geneticist Garry P. Nolan, who contacted the production team and analyzed the remains of the skeleton. The results of his DNA analysis show the skeleton to be human and not of extraterrestrial origin.

Analysis

Although initially thought to be older, the fetal remains have been dated to as recently as the late 1970s, and have been found to contain high-quality

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

, suitable for scientific analysis. The remains have an irregularly shaped skull and a total of 10 ribs, as opposed to 12 for adult humans, and potential signs of

oxycephaly Turricephaly is a type of cephalic disorder where the head appears tall with a small length and width. It is due to premature closure of the coronal suture plus any other Suture (anatomy), suture, like the Lambdoid suture, lambdoid, or it may be u ...

. Considering that the

frontal suture The frontal suture is a fibrous joint that divides the two halves of the frontal bone of the skull in infants and children. Typically, it completely fuses between three and nine months of age, with the two halves of the frontal bone being fused t ...

of the skull is very open and the hands and feet not fully

ossified Ossification (also called osteogenesis or bone mineralization) in bone remodeling is the process of laying down new bone material by cells named osteoblasts. It is synonymous with bone tissue formation. There are two processes resulting in t ...

anatomist Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

and

paleoanthropologist Paleoanthropology or paleo-anthropology is a branch of paleontology and biological anthropology, anthropology which seeks to understand the early development of anatomically modern humans, a process known as wikt:hominization, hominization, throug ...

William Jungers has suggested that it was a human fetus that was born prematurely and died before or shortly after birth. An alternative hypothesis by Nolan is that Ata had a combination of genetic disorders that led to the fetus being

aborted Aborted is a Belgian death metal band formed in 1995 in Waregem. The group currently consists of vocalist, founder, and only constant member Sven de Caluwé, along with guitarists Ian Jekelis and Dan Konráðsson. Although the band originally ...

before term, and pediatric radiologist Ralph Lachman has said that dwarfism alone could not account for all the features found in the fetus. During the DNA analysis by Nolan, the B2 mtDNA

haplotype A haplotype (haploid genotype) is a group of alleles in an organism that are inherited together from a single parent. Many organisms contain genetic material (DNA) which is inherited from two parents. Normally these organisms have their DNA orga ...

group was found in the remains. Haplogroups identify human genetic populations that often are associated distinctly with particular geographic regions around the globe. Combined with the

allele An allele is a variant of the sequence of nucleotides at a particular location, or Locus (genetics), locus, on a DNA molecule. Alleles can differ at a single position through Single-nucleotide polymorphism, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), ...

s found in the

mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA and mDNA) is the DNA located in the mitochondrion, mitochondria organelles in a eukaryotic cell that converts chemical energy from food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA is a small portion of the D ...

contained in the remains, the findings suggested that Ata is indigenous to the western region of South America. In March 2018, Nolan published additional results, stating that the fetus had a rare bone aging disorder, as well as other genetic mutations in genes associated with dwarfism, scoliosis, and abnormalities in the muscles and skeleton. The researchers identified 64 unusual mutations in 7 genes linked to the skeletal system, and they noted that finding so many mutations that specifically affect skeletal development has never been reported before.

Controversy

A subsequent study, published in September 2018 by an international research team led by New Zealand's

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

Associate Professor of Bioarchaeology

Siân Halcrow Siân Ellen Halcrow is a New Zealand academic in the field of biological anthropology, specialising in infant and child health and disease in the past. She is a professor in the department of anatomy at the University of Otago. Academic career ...

, questioned the March 2018 study by Nolan, stating: "As experts in human anatomy and skeletal development, we find no evidence for any of the skeletal anomalies claimed by the authors. Their observations of 'anomalies' represent normal skeletal development in the fetus, cranial moulding from delivery, and potential post-mortem

taphonomic Taphonomy is the study of how organisms decay and become fossilized or preserved in the paleontological record. The term ''taphonomy'' (from Greek , 'burial' and , 'law') was introduced to paleontology in 1940 by Soviet scientist Ivan Efremov ...

effects" and that the team was "sceptical" concerning the genomic results. The authors also raised ethical concerns about the work by Nolan, saying that "studies such as these that do not address ethical considerations of the deceased and their descendant communities threaten to undo the decades of work

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

s and others have put in to correct past

colonialist Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

tendencies." ''Genome Research'', the publisher of the 2013 study, responded by stating that the ethical standards did not cover work on "specimens of uncertain biological origins, such as the Atacama skeleton", but also stated their intention to review their own policies on such studies. The authors of the ''Genome Research'' article published a response acknowledging the ethical concerns and calling for the

repatriation Repatriation is the return of a thing or person to its or their country of origin, respectively. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as the return of mi ...

of the remains. The researchers defended their work by clarifying that no members of the senior authorship team or their laboratories ever handled the skeleton directly, nor were they involved in its acquisition, removal, or export. Instead, they were provided with a small sample of bone (about 1 mm³), removed by the ''

'' documentary team in Spain, and their involvement was strictly limited to analysis of that sample, having no responsibility for the actions of previous handlers. They also made it clear that at the start of the research, it was not known that the specimen was human, nor had the age of the skeleton been determined. The researchers emphasized their intention to resolve the controversies surrounding the specimen, rather than perpetuate unethical practices.

Overview

Analysis

Controversy

See also

References

Further reading