[ad_1]
LONDON – A mysterious 6-inch skeleton found in the Atacama Desert in Chile has puzzled researchers and the public since its discovery more than a decade ago.
With its small size and features that seem both human and many have speculated that the abandoned mummy can have extraterrestrial origins.
A study published this year seemed to finally lift the lid on the case, after the researchers conducted a skeletal and genomic analysis on the remains and concluded that Ata was, in fact, a human girl with genetic abnormalities, including "accelerated bone age."
The research, however, encountered an instant backlash that many questioned the conclusions and ethics of the study herself.
The research team is now questioning the work, claiming that the genomic analyzes were unjustified and that the skeleton is actually that of a developing fetus around 15 weeks old.
The mysterious mumm y, nicknamed Ata, was found in the Atacama Desert in 2003 and ended up falling into the hands of a Spanish collector, before becoming the subject of a documentary and subsequent studies conducted by Garry Nolan, researcher at Stanford University
. A recent study, published last March in the journal Genome Research, sparked such an immediate debate that the authors, including Nolan, issued a statement defending it a few days later
According to the Chilean Government and scientists critical of the work , the skeleton was illegally expelled from the country and subsequent studies should never have been performed.
A new survey further questions research, citing concerns about both ethics and skeletal and genomic analyzes. , there was no scientific justification for undertaking genomic analyzes of Ata because the skeleton is normal, the identified genetic mutations may be coincidental, and none of the genetic mutations "This case study tells us that showcases how to bring together several experts in osteology, medicine, archeology, history and genetics is essential for accurate scientific interpretations and to consider the ethical implications of genomic analysis. [19659002] "A nuanced understanding of skeletal biological processes and cultural context is essential for accurate scientific interpretation and for controlling the ethics and legality of this research."
The international team divided the previous research into a number seemingly problematic issues surrounding the methods, and claims about the age of the skeleton, the development and associated mutations.
example, had emphasized the fact that Ata had only 10 pairs of ribs, instead of 12, "as evidence to support their allegations of anomaly.
But, as the new study notes, these "floating coasts" may not yet have begun to form at this stage
. on the "elongated skull", apparently, which seems normal for a premature fetus
"Taken together, none of the methods or findings regarding the skeletal age of Ata presented by Bhattacharya and his colleagues meets the standards accepted in terms of age. According to the authors of the new paper, bioarchaeological, forensic, or pediatric / obstetric techniques complicate research, adding that researchers are of the opinion that it is likely a case of miscarriage and that it could occur in the recent past. 19659002] "This mummy reflects a sad loss for a mother in the Atacama Desert," says Dr. Bernardo Arriaza, bioarchaeologist from the University of Tarapacá in Chile.
Controversy raises important questions about the ethic of archa "We warn DNA researchers that they involve them in the" archaic ethic ". cases that have no clear context and legality, or whose remains have been kept in private collections, "says Halcrow.
"In the case of Ata, expensive and lengthy scientific tests using whole genome techniques were useless."
[ad_2]
Source link
