If you’ve ever suspected your neighbor (or maybe even yourself) might be part alien, a new “study” won’t calm you down. Dr. Max Rempel, a molecular biologist with a PhD from the Institute of Gene Biology in Moscow, claims to have found strands of non-human DNA hidden inside certain families—and he says it may have been “inserted.”Rempel analyzed genetic data from 581 families in the public 1,000 Genomes Project. In 11 of them, he says, large chunks of DNA appeared that didn’t match either parent. The anomalies—348 variants in total—couldn’t be chalked up to modern gene-editing tools like CRISPR, since the subjects were born decades before that technology existed.The results, published by Rempel’s nonprofit DNA Resonance Research Foundation and yet to be peer-reviewed, go several light-years beyond conventional genetics. He believes the insertions might have come from extraterrestrial intervention and could explain why some people possess “enhanced” traits such as telepathy or heightened perception. “Humanity may be undergoing genetic transformation,” he told The Daily Mail.Media Production/Getty Images‘Alien’ DNA May Exist Within Humans, According to Controversial New Genetic StudyTo look for patterns, Rempel also examined 23andMe data from people who claim to have been abducted by aliens. Some showed traces of what he calls “non-parental markers.” Others did not, which he says could mean the alien edits target specific bloodlines. “If confirmed, it could be possible to detect which humans carry alien DNA,” he said. “Essentially identifying hybrids.”Even UFO researchers think he might be getting ahead of himself. “Alien abduction experiences can stem from a variety of terrestrial factors,” said Nigel Watson, author of Portraits of Alien Encounters Revisited. “We need to carefully verify these accounts before drawing conclusions about DNA.” Watson added that technical errors or cell-culture contamination could explain the anomalies just as easily as visitors from another star system.Rempel admits the evidence is far from airtight. Current genetic databases rely on older, less precise technology. He’s now pushing for next-generation sequencing to test new samples from families who identify as abductees. “We need better data,” he said, “and approval takes time.”If his theory holds up—which, scientifically speaking, is a galaxy-sized “if”—it would rewrite everything we know about human evolution. Until then, it’s one more entry in the long list of cosmic mysteries that make Earth’s strangest life form look like us.The post ‘Alien’ DNA May Exist Within Humans, Genetic Study Claims appeared first on VICE.