Amelia+Earhart+Bones_NewsELA.pdf

Bones found on Pacific island likely belong toaviator Amelia Earhart

By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on 03.13.18

Word Count 883Level 1030L

Aviator Amelia Earhart is pictured in front of her biplane called Friendship in Newfoundland, Canada, on June 14, 1928. Earhart disappearedwithout a trace over the Pacific Ocean in her attempt to fly around the world in 1937. Photo by: Getty Images

The story of Amelia Earhart's life is revolutionary. She was the first woman to fly alone across theAtlantic Ocean. She might have also been the first to fly around the world had her plane not

vanished over the Pacific Ocean in 1937.After decades of mystery surrounding her disappearance, her story might come to a close.

New Findings Dispute 1941 Study

A new scientific study claims that bones found in 1940 on the Pacific island of Nikumaroro belongto Earhart. The new findings dispute a forensic study of the remains conducted in 1941 that saidthe bones were from a man. Forensic scientists specialize in scientific methods that are usually

used to help solve crimes. The bones, which were later discarded, have been revisited in the new study, "Amelia Earhart andthe Nikumaroro Bones." University of Tennessee professor Richard Jantz did the study.

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For decades Earhart's fate has remained a mystery. Some people have speculated that Earhart died

a castaway on the island after her plane crashed.

British Expedition Originally Found Bones

The bones were uncovered by a British expedition exploring the island for settlement when theycame upon a human skull, according to the study. The expedition's officer ordered a morethorough search of the area. The search turned up several other bones and part of what appearedto be a woman's shoe. Other items found included a box made to hold a Brandis Navy SurveyingSextant, a tool for navigation. It had been manufactured around 1918."There was suspicion at the time that the bones could be the remains of Amelia Earhart," Jantz

wrote in the study.

Computer Program Used In Latest Findings

The 13 bones were shipped to Fiji and studied by Dr. D. W. Hoodless of the Central MedicalSchool. Fiji lies about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand. Jantz argues that theforensic study of bones was still in its early stages, which affected the assessment of the sex of theremains. Jantz, in attempting to compare the lost bones with Earhart's bones, co-developed acomputer program. It estimated sex and ancestry using skeletal measurements. The program is

used by scientists across the globe.Jantz compared the lengths of the bones to Earhart's measurements. He used her height, weight,body build, limb lengths and proportions, based on photographs and information found on herpilot's and driver's licenses. His findings revealed that Earhart's bones were "more similar to theNikumaroro bones" than 99 percent of people in a large sample."In the case of the Nikumaroro bones, the only documented person to whom they may belong is

Amelia Earhart," Jantz wrote in the study.

Mystery Still Surrounds Aviator's Disappearance

Earhart's disappearance has long interested the public, and theories involving her landing onNikumaroro have emerged in recent years. Retired journalist Mike Campbell, who wrote "AmeliaEarhart: The Truth at Last," has maintained with others that Earhart and her navigator, FredNoonan, were captured in the Marshall Islands by the Japanese, who thought they were Americanspies. He believes they were tortured and died there.Ric Gillespie, director of The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, TIGHAR, spoketo The Washington Post in 2016. He believes the bones found on Nikumaroro belong to Earhart.

Earhart's Body Features Coincide With Bones

In 1998, TIGHAR took Hoodless' measurements of the Nikumaroro bones and analyzed themthrough a database. They determined the bones belonged to a taller-than-average woman ofEuropean descent. It could be Earhart, who at 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 8 inches, was several inches

taller than the average woman.In 2016, the group brought the measurements to Jeff Glickman, a scientific examiner. He located aphoto of Earhart that showed her with her arms exposed. It appeared, based on educated guesses,

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that Earhart's upper arm bone corresponded with one of the Nikumaroro bones.Glickman, who is now a member of TIGHAR, told The Washington Post at the time that heunderstands some might question his findings, as they were based on 76-year-old medical notes.However, he said, the research made clear, that Earhart died on Nikumaroro.Gillespie and Glickman could not be immediately reached by The Post for comment on Jantz's

findings.

History Channel Suggested Earhart Died In Japan

In 2017, the History Channel published a photo suggesting Earhart died in Japan. Based on aphotograph from the National Archives, researchers said Earhart might have been captured by theJapanese. The photo seemed to show Earhart and Noonan in Jaluit Harbor in the Marshall Islands

after their disappearance.In the photo, according to The Washington Post's Amy B Wang, "a figure with Earhart's haircutand approximate body type sits on the dock, facing away." Noonan was also believed to be in thephoto. "On the far right of the photo is a barge with an airplane on it, supposedly Earhart's."After the History Channel program aired, a Japanese-military-history blogger matched the phototo one first published in 1935. It was two years before Earhart and Noonan disappeared."HISTORY has a team of investigators exploring the latest developments about Amelia Earhart,"

the History Channel said in a statement. Gillespie said in 2017 that he stood by his theory despite the photograph. He still thinks the

evidence points to Nikumaroro.

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