Mysterious 200-Year-Old Human Remains in Antarctica Belong to a Woman and Are the Oldest Ever Found There
Learn more about the oldest human remains ever found in Antarctica and why it's still a mystery as to how the woman got there.
Human remains of a woman, estimated to have lived between 1819 and 1825, were discovered in Antarctica in the 1980s, according to a study published in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health. The cranium, found half-buried in the rocky sandy sector of Yámana Beach on Cape Shirreff, was still partially visible, with some teeth intact.
The remains were initially thought to belong to a young female, most likely of Chilean origin. The team of investigators, led by Daniel Torres Navarro, hypothesized that the woman could have been a member of a 19th-century sealing group who left her behind or died on a vessel, with her body being later transported to the beach by currents and storms.
Alternatively, the remains might have been the result of a Polynesian explorer reaching Antarctica earlier than the first confirmed sighting in 1820.
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