Zecharia Sitchin proposed that the Anunnaki, extraterrestrial beings from the planet Nibiru, created humanity about 450,000 years ago through genetic engineering. According to his work, they combined their own DNA with that of primitive hominids to create workers who would mine gold for their civilization. Through genetic manipulation and in vitro fertilization, they fused the Anunnaki’s advanced genetic material with the genetic code of Homo erectus or Homo neanderthalensis. Ancient astronaut theorist Zecharia Sitchin proposed that the Anunnaki modified the DNA of prehistoric humans 450,000 years ago, mixing their genes with those of the humans and putting them to work mining Earth’s natural resources, such as gold.