Amelia Earhart's bones 'found on remote islands in South Pacific'

Bones found on a remote island in the South Pacific were likely those of American pilot Amelia Earhart, a new study found.

Ms Earhart, who was the first woman pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, disappeared with her navigator, Fred Noonan, during an attempt to make a circumnavigation flight of the globe in 1937.

The mystery of her disappearance sparked decades of fascination and theories over her fate, including that she was captured and held by Japanese forces.

One popular theory - that she died a castaway on the island Nikumaroro - was discounted in 1940 after researcher D W Hoodless concluded bones found there belonged to a man.

However, a University of Tennessee professor has said that Mr Hoodless incorrectly determined the sex of the remains.

The study revealed that the bones have more similarity to Ms Earhart than to 99 per cent of individuals in a large reference sample.

Richard Jantz, professor emeritus of anthropology and director emeritus of the university's Forensic Anthropology Centre, re-examined bone measurements taken by Mr Hoodless.

He compared the bone lengths with Ms Earhart's, which were estimated using photographs and measurements from her clothing, the study said.

Professor Jantz concluded: "Until definitive evidence is presented that the remains are not those of Amelia Earhart, the most convincing argument is that they are hers."

He argued that forensic techniques were "not well developed in the early 20th century".

To reach his conclusion, Professor Jantz also investigated other theories about the bones, including that they belonged to men who were shipwrecked on the island.