(CNN) DNA testing may determine whether newly discovered bones from an island in the Pacific are those of Amelia Earhart -- and perhaps shed light on what happened to the pioneering aviator after she disappeared.

The bones were found on Nikumaroro, a remote island in the western Pacific Ocean, in 1940. But it wasn't until a 2018 study that people began to suspect they could belong to Earhart. That's when researcher Richard Jantz re-examined their measurements and found they closely matched those of the missing pilot.

Kimmerle has reconstructed the skull and sent samples off for DNA testing.

Erin Kimmerle, a forensic anthropologist at the University of South Florida, plans to use DNA testing to confirm the theory. Kimmerle sent samples off for DNA testing and is awaiting the results.

She was invited by National Geographic and appears in an upcoming documentary about the pilot.

Whether or not the bones are positively identified as Earhart's, Kimmerle says she sees this as an exciting opportunity to focus on the legendary woman's life, rather than the story of her death.

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