Conclusive DNA testing is the final hurdle to prove what the Starchild Skull is. Below you can read a "Draft Study Proposal" (a cost estimate) from an independent US lab which quotes $250,000 per year to complete this DNA testing and to write a paper on the Skull for mainstream peer review. This is a massive price reduction from the $3+ Million originally quoted, thanks to a reduction in the cost of the technology over time.
The DNA recovered from preliminary tests is so unusual that the lab cannot predict an exact amount of time the testing will take, but currently they belive it will take 2-3 years, for a total investment of upto $750,000 USD.
This is the most economical and cost effective work that can be done on the Starchild Skull, and it is the only test we can do that can prove whether it is a previously unknown species of human, an alien species, or a human with the ability to survive normally fatal deformity and illness. Any of these conclusions will change the way we think about the world, and may even help to save human lives. The proposal below has been supplied by the lab, and more detail is available to serious investors on request.
Draft Study Proposal
Sponsor: Starchild Project
Performing institution: XXXXXX (LAB)
Study start date: Upon availability of funds, as agreed between the Sponsor and LAB
Study Period: Open-ended, as approved by the Sponsor
Description of the proposed studies:
The overarching goal of the proposed studies is the genetic characterization of a 900-old skull (owned by the Sponsor) of an apparently hominoid origin, widely known elsewhere as the Starchild Skull. Preliminary limited genetic studies of the Skull conducted at LAB by Dr. XXXXXX have indicated, although not yet conclusively, its possibly distant relationship to humans.
The study will involve attempts to extract DNA from samples of the Skull’s bone and a fragment of the Skulls’ maxilla using modern techniques of ancient DNA extraction, preparation of libraries, and sequencing of these libraries using next generation sequencing technologies. Further, obtained DNA sequences will be analyzed by available bioinformatics methods with the goal to establish evolutionary relationships with Homo sapiens and higher primates. Results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
The studies will be conducted in the laboratory of Dr. XXXXXX at LAB using the existing facilities and equipment for ancient DNA extraction (clean room, cryomills, PCR stations, thermocyclers, analytical electrophoresis equipment, and Illumina’s personal sequencer MiSeq) using supplies and labor as outlined in the budget. For more extensive data recovery (if approved by the Sponsor), DNA libraries may be submitted to commercial sequencing centers to perform sequencing runs on high-output machines, such as HiSeq 2000 or 2500, which will involve paying established pay-per-run fees.
Preliminary data analysis will be performed with the existing 8-core workstation running RHEL 5.8 and modern bioinformatics software. For compute-intensive in depth analysis, a high-end workstation equipped with four GPUs and labor of a dedicated programmer will be needed, the cost of which is also included in the budget.
The following budget is based on estimated yearly expenses, and currently a minimum of two years’ work is projected:
Computing Hardware $30,000
Dr. XXXXXX, PhD, investigator, 20% $35,000
Programmer, TBD, 100% $60,000
Supplies: $25,000 (biochemicals, analytical and sequencing kits)
Total direct: $150,000
Indirect costs: $60,000 (excl. equipment)
Non-lab costs $40,000
Total Indirect: $100,000
Total: $250,000
