Remains that were originally claimed to be those of a man found in 1940 are now being claimed to be those of Amelia Earhart. These remains were originally found in 1940 on the Pacific Island of Nikumaroro.
A new study revisited the event of Amelia Earhart's disappearance to shed some light on her case.
New Study On The Remains
The bones were originally found in 1940 during a British expedition. During a search of the area after finding the remains on Nikumaroro, the expedition also found a Brandis Navy Surveying Sextant made around 1918 and a bottle of Bénédictine.
At the time, the remains were thought to possibly be the remains of Amelia Earhart. After their discovery, the remains were sent to be studied in Fiji. Experts think that because the study of bones, osteology, was still in its early days that this may have affected the results.
To determine the sex of remains, scientists around the world use a computer program called Fordisc. This program estimates sex and ancestry using measurements of the bones.
The developer of the program University of Tennessee professor Richard Jantz wrote a new study analyzing the Nikumaroro bones. Jantz strongly believes that based on his analysis that the remains are very likely to be Earhart's.
"This analysis reveals that Earhart is more similar to the Nikumaroro bones than 99% of individuals in a large reference sample. This strongly supports the conclusion that the Nikumaroro bones belonged to Amelia Earhart," said Jantz in his research article.
Jantz came to the conclusion that this was Earhart by comparing the length of the bones to Earhart's measurements. He used her height, weight, build, and proportions all found in photographs and information on her pilot's and driver's licenses.
The Nikumaroro remains have long been thought to be those of Amelia Earhart by many people involved in the search for the missing pilot.
Earhart Found In Japan
In July 2017, the History Channel posted a photo saying that there was a possibility that Earhart could be seen in the photo. The photo was found in the National Archives, suggesting that the pilot was taken as a prisoner of war by the Japanese.
This photo placed Earhart along with her navigator Fred Noonan in Jaluit Harbor on the Marshall Island after they had disappeared.
In the end, a military history blogger was able to prove that the photo was not Earhart. It was found in a 1935 Japanese travelogue, Earhart disappeared in 1937.
