In the age of CSI and Law & Order, scientists are putting newfound interest into the mystery of Amelia Earhart. Hoping to extract her DNA from dried saliva on two envelopes she is believed to have sealed, one British Columbia researcher is attempting to reveal new secrets about her past.
Earhart, famed for her ill-fated solo journey across the Atlantic, has been part of aviation lore since her disappearance in 1937.
Perhaps with genetic evidence, scientists could trace DNA to a living ancestor or determine if she had any preexisting conditions that may have made her susceptible to a disease – making her blackout or lose consciousness during the flight.
Seemingly farfetched, we’ll see if anything comes of the scientist’s findings.
The last known whereabouts of Earhart were in Papua, New Guinea where she took off.
At the time of her disappearance, Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan were assumed to have died after ditching their aircraft in the ocean.
The most recent breakthrough in the Earhart mystery were some tiny bones and artifacts found on a remote Pacific island, rumored to have belonged to Earhart.
An alternative theory presented by the International Group for Historical Aircraft Recovery says there’s evidence to suggest the pair made it to Nikumaroro island in Kiribati where they lived as castaways.
Whichever theory you buy into, perhaps uncovering the flying legend’s DNA will help give us a closer glimpse into her past.
(Via Times of Malta)
