(Screenshot from Gaia YouTube video)
A three-fingered mummified body has been reportedly found in Nazca, Peru, with video of the purported body appearing on YouTube. However, researchers have expressed doubt about the discovery, with some calling it a "hoax."
According to website Gaia, the body, which stands 5'6" tall and appears to look like a human, has three long fingers, an elongated skull and does not have ears or a nose. In a Gaia YouTube video, Professor Konstantin Korotkov of Saint Petersburg University in Russia described the body as belonging to "another creature, another humanoid."
"We're going to let you know if it's human, if it's non-human," said a Gaia representative, in the video.
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Jaime Maussan, an investigative journalist from Mexico, introduced the discovery to Gaia filmmakers, who then investigated it further with a larger team.
Doubts about the credibility of the body popped up immediately. "Respect my opinion, this is FAKE!," wrote one commenter on the YouTube video. "Reported to the MIB," quipped another, referring the famous sci-fi comedy movie "Men in Black."
In an interview with The Express, British UFO author Nigel Watson, described the body as "a plaster cast model," dubbing it "110 perfect fake."
Fact-checking and research site Snopes.com also questioned the credibility of the discovery.
Though examples of elongated skulls have been found in Peru, dating back thousands of years, experts attribute this to an ancient practice of artificial cranial deformation, according to Snopes.com.
This body in the Gaia video appears to be covered in a white powder to preserve the remains.
Carbon dating from the body appears to show it being from 245-410 AD, according to the Gaia video, but additional tests are underway, including DNA sequencing, as well as a CAT scan.
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