Scientists Must Unravel a Thorny Mummy Controversy
When researchers extract DNA from human remains the rights of the dead remain murky
By Chip Colwell, The Conversation US on April 8, 2018
The remains of a 6-inch long mummy from Chile are not those of a space alien, according to recently reported research. The tiny body with its strange features—a pointed head, elongated bones—had been the subject of fierce debate over whether a UFO might have left it behind. The scientists gained access to the body, which is now in a private collection, and their DNA testing proved the remains are those of a human fetus. The undeveloped girl suffered from a bone disease and was the child of an unknown local Atacama woman.
This study was supposed to end the mummy’s controversy. Instead, it ignited another one.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-must-unravel-a-thorny-mummy-controversy/
