A new DNA analysis of mysterious ‘conehead’ mummies has failed to definitively explain their origins, fueling longstanding claims they could be linked to extraterrestrials.
Researchers from Liberty University in Virginia examined teeth from the Paracas skulls, a collection of more than 300 ancient remains discovered by archaeologists in Peru during the 1920s. Previous studies concluded the cone-shaped skulls were likely intentionally deformed by a human civilization that lived more than 2,000 years ago, between 800 BC and 100 BC. However, these tests were completed through visual observations.
Several earlier DNA analyses aimed at uncovering the mummies’ origins produced inconclusive results, prompting researchers to launch a new study using powdered material extracted from the teeth to build a genetic profile.
Wild theories have persisted for decades that the mummies are the remains of alien lifeforms carrying non-human DNA, although those claims have never been confirmed.
Researcher Abigail McDowell said: ‘Some archaeologists and geneticists attributed the deformation to the cultural practice of cranial binding, which uses pressure to morph the skull – often a societal symbol of wealth or importance.’
‘Others believed the Conehead mummies were proof of extraterrestrial visitors, claiming the mummies were descendants from non-humanoid species or actual aliens themselves,’ she added.
Even after sampling multiple Paracas Conehead teeth, however, scientists said there was still not enough genetic material to definitively rule out the possibility that the skulls came from an extraterrestrial race.
Pictured: Elongated skulls discovered in Peru believed to date back over 2,000 years
Scientists have claimed that the skulls are human and show a technique called intentional cranial modification
The researchers had set out to use teeth to pull DNA, the genetic material that tells us about a person’s ancestry, since teeth are considered extremely hard and resistant to rotting over the centuries, making them natural ‘safes’ for DNA.
The Liberty University team tested two different ways to get the DNA: a gentle method that only removed small bits of powder from inside the tooth root, and a stronger method that ground the entire tooth into fine powder using a coffee grinder.
After they finished both the gentle and grinding methods, the researchers used a special measuring machine to check exactly how much DNA they had retrieved from each tooth.
Although the grinding method recovered over five times more DNA, both amounts were still too low to get a clear picture of the Coneheads’ genetic makeup.
The gentle method produced 2.3 units of DNA, known as nanograms per microliter.
A nanogram is one billionth of a gram and equals roughly 150 to 170 human cells. Meanwhile, a microliter is roughly one-twentieth of a single drop from an eyedropper.
So, 2.3 units equate to only 300 to 400 human cells. The grinding method produced 14.1 units, or about 2,100 to 2,400 cells.
Still, the scientists revealed that labs usually need at least 20 units of DNA for the genetic testing machines to give clear results.
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A team from Liberty University took DNA from the teeth of Paracas Conehead’ skulls in an attempt to confirm their genetic origins
Pictured: An artist’s depiction of what a person would look like after intentional cranial modification
Since all the test checks worked fine, the researchers think the mummy’s DNA simply had too little genetic material left or was too damaged from age.
The team now plans to keep trying until they get better results and solve the mystery of the Paracas skulls.
Their next step will be to try a new grinding method called demineralization to hopefully pull out more and higher-quality DNA.
Once they obtain better DNA from the teeth, they will compare it to DNA already taken from the mummies’ hair to learn the Conehead people’s real genetic origins.
In 2022, scientists from South America examined 159 skulls from the Paracas Cavernas archeological site and found 98 percent showed signs of ‘intentional cranial modification.’
This practice is believed to have been an important marker of social identity in the area along the Andes Mountains in South America, including among cultures in modern-day Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.
Researchers believe ancient humans gently wrapped a baby’s soft skull with cloth or boards for several months to permanently shape the child’s head into a long, cone-like form as a cultural tradition.
However, David Childress, one of the stars of the popular History Channel show Ancient Aliens, has argued that the practice of head binding attempted to imitate the look of humanity’s ‘highly advanced ancestors.’
In the book The Enigma of Cranial Deformation, Childress and author Brien Foerster wrote: ‘The puzzle of why diverse ancient people – even on remote Pacific Islands—would use head-binding to create elongated heads is mystifying.’
‘Where did they even get this idea?’
Lloyd Pye, a well-known paranormal researcher, gained fame for promoting a strangely-shaped child’s skull found in Mexico in the 1930s, known as the ‘Starchild skull,’ as an alien-human hybrid.
Foerster worked with Pye on Paracas skull samples and publicly stated in a 2014 interview that Pye strongly believed the Paracas skulls were ‘not human beings’ and showed non-human traits.
