While most scientists look to the stars for signs of alien life, others argue that the evidence may already be here on Earth.
This week, mysterious remains have surfaced in Colombia that some say may have origins outside this world.
Josep Guijarro, a veteran public radio reporter, claimed that the unusual corpse could be an alien or a “tiny humanoid” from an ancient species.
But experts now say the real explanation is probably much simpler.
Professor Sian Halcrow, a forensic anthropologist and expert on baby remains, told MailOnline that these are likely the remains of a premature human baby.
These bizarre images of an ‘alien fetus’ were shared by former radio host and extraterrestrial researcher Josep Guijarro
These remains appear to have alien features, but experts suggest they are consistent with the appearance of mummified human fetuses
What is being claimed?
These strange images were shared by veteran public radio host Josep Guijarro, who is now a full-time extraterrestrial researcher.
According to Mr. Guijarro, the images were shared with him by a source who “wanted to know if it could be a creature from another world and told me the specimen is from Colombia.”
The alleged alien has a large elongated skull, slanted eyes, an umbilical cord and an “unusual number of ribs.”
In an article published in Espacia Misterio, he claimed that the remains had only 10 ribs on each side of the body, compared to 12 in the typical human.
Mr Guijarro also claims that the remains came from ‘el cerro de los enanos’ (‘the hill of the dwarfs’) in remote Colombia.
However, in a later post on
The new find resembles Chile’s mysterious, elongated ‘Atacama skeleton’ (above), which, according to a Spanish businessman who studied it for a decade, may once have been a small class of terrestrial humanoid creatures.
The post has sparked a wave of speculation online that these remains could be from an alien species that came to Earth sometime in the distant past.
One commenter on social media wrote: ‘Surely it’s an intraterrestrial species still living among us?’
These claims echo the theories surrounding the “alien mummies” presented at the Mexican Congress last September.
However, these claims were soon disproved when analysis revealed that the ‘aliens’ were nothing more than puppets made from animal bones.
However, Mr. Guijarro has tried to distance himself from these theories and has offered an alternative, although still far-fetched, suggestion.
In an apparent digression on the Mexican alien debacle, he wrote, “I’m sure someone in Mexico would have already labeled it ‘alien’, but in my case I prefer to be more cautious.”
Instead, pointing to the “non-trivial detail” of the umbilical cord, Mr. Guijarros suggests that these remains are those of an ancient species of “small hominids.”
The Spanish radio veteran dared to suggest that the specimen might be linked to ‘Ata’, an infamous six-inch ‘alien’-like corpse excavated in Chile in 2003.
He suggests that both specimens may be related members of a species of hominid creatures that lived about 800 years ago.
“The legends speak of a civilization of small creatures, about 35-40 centimeters, that would live on the top of these mountains,” he wrote.
Guijarro’s skepticism hasn’t stopped others from voicing their own theories about the new Colombian corpse mystery. “It looks a lot like the Atacama creature,” said one (above). ‘Surely it is an intraterrestrial species still living among us?’
The ‘aliens’ presented to the Mexican Congress in September turned out to be nothing more than man-made bone puppets
What do the experts say?
However, despite the online speculation, expert opinion suggests a much simpler explanation.
Professor Halcrow told MailOnline that all the supposed evidence for the specimen’s extraterrestrial origins could be easily explained.
She said: ‘There are always conspiracy theories and unfortunately some people pick up on these because they are the most sensational and get the most attention.
“However, they have ignored the most parsimonious explanation, which is that this is a premature baby.”
The unusual appearance of the remains, according to Professor Halcrow, is due to the mummification of soft tissue in dry conditions.
Because fetuses have softer bones and are not yet fully developed, this mummification process can make the remains look unusual to unfamiliar observers.
Previous ‘aliens’ and small humanoids (pictured) have been examined by experts and all have common features that can be explained by the mummification of soft tissue in fetuses or premature babies
Professor Halcrow explained: ‘The anatomy of this individual is consistent with that of a mummified human fetus.
‘The malformed appearance of the skull may result from formation of the fetus’ head during birth, where the parietal bone (large bones on either side and top of the skull) may overlap the frontal bones and other parietal bone.’
Likewise, this theory can also explain the ‘alien’ features clearly visible in the mummy.
‘Babies do not open their eyes in the womb until they are around 27 weeks pregnant, so the alleged deformed eyes are the result of the mummification of soft tissue of the eyes and eyelids,’ Professor Halcrow said.
As for the claim that there are only ten ribs on each side, Professor Halcrow says there is ‘no reason’ to believe this is the case.
Because the two lower ribs are very small, they are extremely difficult to see and difficult to recognize only in the photos.
More worryingly, Professor Halcrow also points out that Mr Guijarros fails to mention the context in which these remains were found.
She added: “It is mentioned that it was 800 years ago. If that’s the case, this baby comes from a looted old cemetery.”