Genetic researchers have unraveled the mystery of a bizarre mummified skeleton once suspected of possibly being an alien.
The six-inch-long oddity was discovered back in 2003 in Chile's Atacama desert and, upon being revealed to UFO researchers, was heralded by some as a potential breakthrough in the search for ET confirmation.
Dubbed the 'Atacama alien' or 'Ata' for short, the skeleton's conical head and abnormally large eye sockets bore an uncanny resemblance to the iconic depiction of a grey ET.
This fantastic conclusion was, unfortunately, squashed five years ago when DNA tests on the 'alien' revealed that it was, in fact, a human being.
However, researchers were still stumped by what may have caused Ata's unique appearance, but a newly-published paper appears to have solved the mystery.
Find out what scientists have discovered about the Atacama 'alien' at the Coast to Coast AM website.