Bones found on a western Pacific Ocean island in 1940 are likely to be the remains of famed aviator Amelia Earhart, a new analysis concludes.

Key points: The bones have been lost but measurements of them remain

The bones have been lost but measurements of them remain Previous studies suggested the remains found belonged to a man

Previous studies suggested the remains found belonged to a man Professor Jantz says artefacts found on the island also suggest the remains are Earhart's

The study and other evidence "point toward her rather strongly," University of Tennessee anthropologist Richard Jantz said on Thursday.

Earhart disappeared during an attempted flight around the world in 1937, and the search for an answer to what happened to her and her navigator has captivated the public for decades.

Professor Jantz's analysis is the latest chapter in a back-and-forth that has played out about the remains, which were found on Nikumaroro Island but are now lost.

All that survive are seven measurements taken of the skull and bones of the arm and leg.

Those measurements led a scientist in 1941 to conclude the bones belonged to a man.

In 1998, however, Professor Jantz and another scientist reinterpreted them as coming from a woman of European ancestry, and about Earhart's height.

But in 2015, still other researchers concluded the original assessment that the bones belonged to a man was correct.

Now Professor Jantz has weighed in with another analysis of the measurements, published in January in the journal Forensic Anthropology.

For comparison, Jantz used an inseam length and waist circumference from a pair of Earhart's trousers.

He also drew on a photo of her holding an oil can to estimate the lengths of two arm bones.

Analysis showed "the bones are consistent with Earhart in all respects we know or can reasonably infer," he wrote in the journal article.

It is highly unlikely that a random person would resemble the bones as closely as Earhart, he wrote.

In a phone interview, Professor Jantz noted some artefacts found on the island also supported the possibility the bones came from Earhart.

"I think we have pretty good evidence that it's her," he said.

AP