In 1928, on the southern coast of Peru, in the Paracas Desert, archaeologist Julio Tello made a startling find. The researcher discovered a huge burial ground with a complex structure, where lay the most unusual remains that scientists have ever seen: the skulls of the deceased were not only unusually large, but also had an unusual elongated shape.
In total, Tello discovered more than three hundred skulls, the age of which was estimated at about three thousand years. For the analysis of their DNA, researchers took up relatively recently, and the results were more than unexpected. No wonder: this is a real challenge to the existing theory of human evolution.
In a number of cultures, deliberate deformity of the skull has been practiced. So, in some South American tribes, babies had their heads pulled together with a cloth or clamped between two plates. As a result of prolonged exposure to the skull, it really changed its shape, while this did not affect the volume, weight and other standard characteristics. However, in the case of the skulls of Paracas, the picture turned out to be completely different.
For starters, the volume of desert skulls turned out to be a quarter larger than that of humans. And secondly, they were as much as 60 percent heavier. This led scientists to believe that the skulls did not take their shape due to deliberate deformation. There are also differences in the structure of the skull: the skulls of Paracas have only one parietal surface, while in humans there are two.
To unveil the veil of secrecy, the director of the Museum of the History of Paracas, Juan Navarro, sent five samples for genetic analysis. Samples included hair, skin particles, teeth, and skull bone fragments.
At the same time, the geneticists were not told anything about the origin of the skulls to avoid bias in the analysis. And the results were completely unexpected.
The tests found mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited from the mother, with an unknown mutation that does not occur in humans, primates, or any other animal.
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“This mutation makes it possible to assume that we are dealing with a completely new humanoid creature, very far from Homo sapiens, Neanderthal or Denisovan man. I'm not even sure that they will find a place in the family tree of modern humans,”says Brian Foster, an employee of the genetic laboratory.
Foster explains that creatures with such skulls had very noticeable genetic differences from humans, so crossing between representatives of these two species would hardly be possible, reports WorldTruth.tv.
It is difficult to overestimate the consequences of this discovery. Who were the mysterious creatures buried in Paracas? How did they look at the beginning of their evolutionary path? Or maybe they flew to Earth, already having a formed shape? The results of the analysis left more questions than answers, but now, it seems, there is no doubt: we are not alone in the universe.