Ata is the common name given to the 6-inch (150 mm)-long skeletal remains of a human that were found during 2003 in a deserted Chilean town in the Atacama Desert, hence the abbreviated name. The remains have been placed in a private collection in Spain.
According to a local Chilean newspaper, La Estrella de Arica (es), Ata was found in northern Chile by Oscar Muñoz, who later sold the remains; their current owner is Ramón Navia-Osorio, a Spanish businessman.
Experts have discovered a small skeleton that looked like that of a human, except for some features that have made the researchers think. After the image appeared on the Internet, many people said it could be an alien. But experts have conducted tests to discover the identity of abnormal skeleton, nicknamed Ata.
The skeleton has only 15 centimeters long at first glance many said they could be the skeleton of a premature baby, others said it could be just a hoax. Ata's size is not the only thing that has amazed scientists, the skeleton show physical deformities. For example, humans have 12 ribs, but the skeleton has only 10, and head shape sharp as conferred by turicefalie. Deformation of the face and jaw gave him a look that is not earthly.
The skeleton was part of a private collection until 2009, when he was brought in a symposium in Barcelona. In autumn 2012, researchers have been offered the chance to study it on Ata x-rays and genetic samples.
The images could be seen carried lungs and heart of the individual. Preliminary studies have shown that this is matter of human origin, but 9% of material not matched the reference genome. Mitochondrial DNA study revealed that Ata's mother was originally from the same place where the skeleton was discovered.
One of the most impressive findings from the analysis was that Ata was not a fetus. It had teeth like those of a grown man, and the bones were well developed as those of a child between 6 and 8 years. How could a 6 year old to have only six centimeters?
Some of the explanations as dwarfism, progeria (premature aging) or mummification a fetus.
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