Bigfoot and Yeti DNA Study Gets Serious

LiveScience ^ | 22 May 2012 | Jeanna Bryner

[Theoria]

A new university-backed project aims to investigate cryptic species such as the yeti whose existence is unproven, through genetic testing.

Researchers from Oxford University and the Lausanne Museum of Zoology are asking anyone with a collection of cryptozoological material to submit descriptions of it. The researchers will then ask for hair and other samples for genetic identification.

"I'm challenging and inviting the cryptozoologists to come up with the evidence instead of complaining that science is rejecting what they have to say," said geneticist Bryan Sykes of the University of Oxford.

While Sykes doesn't expect to find solid evidence of a yeti or Bigfoot monster, he says he is keeping an open mind and hopes to identify perhaps 20 of the suspect samples. Along the way, he'd be happy if he found some unknown species.

"It would be wonderful if one or more turned out to be species we don't know about, maybe primates, maybe even collateral hominids," Sykes told LiveScience. Such hominids would include Neanderthals or Denosivans, a mysterious hominin species that lived in Siberia 40,000 years ago.

"That would be the optimal outcome," Sykes said.

The project is called the Oxford-Lausanne Collateral Hominid Project. It is being led by Sykes and Michel Sartori of the zoology museum.

[mkmensinger]

Bigfoot might not be too cooperative about giving a dna sample.

[mardi59]

Oh heck, we all found bigfoot years ago, Janet Reno. Now we have a new one....Napolitano.

[exDemMom]

I saw a bigfoot print in a snowbank in Yellowstone Park last week. It was at least 14 inches long, and the toes had a spread of about 6 inches.

I suspect a DNA analysis would reveal that it was a grizzly bear print. But it’s so much more fun to say I saw evidence of a bigfoot!

[I see my hands]

"a mysterious hominid species that lived in Siberia"

What, they all looked like Alfred Hitchcock?

[Perdogg]

ping

[Figment]

Don’t you have to find some type of remains (body,fur,bones, turd) to do a DNA test on? My guess is, they will be testing a lot of bear dna

[dsrtsage]

Sounds like a much better use of research funding than global warming, though in order to be properly funded, they will have to somehow show that bigfoots and yetis are endangered by global warming

[varmintman]

The hominids we know the most about, particularly the Neanderthal, were carnivores and the Neanderthal was a total carnivore. Anything like that surviving to this day would leave a trail of bones and blood and gore behind him which wouldn't be terribly hard to track, there'd be people and farm animals going missing all over the place. This is what Neanderthals looked like, coutesy of www.themandus.org:

The ONLY way a hominid could live elusively today would be if he'd learned to survive on pine needles.

[Morgana]

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Perdogg, will ping this when I’m back where I can.

[GeronL]

Harry, Curly and Larry provided the DNA for comparisons?

[a fool in paradise]

This is series, it’s a university backed project!

[stormer]

Extant hominids are primarily fructivorous, not carnivorous. And while Neanderthal was fundamentally a meat eater, that may exaplin why you don't see many of them now days.

[Noob1999]

...................anyone with a collection of cryptozoological material to submit descriptions of it..............

Unfortunately, “cryptozoological material” for the YETI has deteriorated so much due to CO2 exposure over the past decade, that no definitive results can be studied.

However, with the UN $$$ funding of the laser cross transference LED beam isotope deep earth cognitive electrolytic gamma ray isolating neutron emitter technology we should be able to identify YETI excrement.

The UN needs your government $$$$$$$$$$ immediately before this elusive mammal goes extinct!

[Jack Hydrazine]

I tohught Curly Q. Link was the missing link!

[higgmeister]

They would have a better chance of DNA testing the “Loch Moose Monster!”

[campaignPete R-CT]

DEFINItely ADD me to the series Bigfoot pinger list. but not the yeti ping list. Only series articles please. Do not wanna be on the bigfoot joke ping lists.

I needs to git me some news somewhere. C2C starts at 1 a.m. here out east, and I just gotta get me some sleep so refuse to listen so I am missin’ da bigfoot news.

[Inyo-Mono]

Thanks for the article. What most people don’t realize, especially those living in crowded cities, is that some 60% of the Earth has only been photographed from aircraft and satellites and remains completely unexplored by man. Folks that laugh at the idea of Bigfoot and Yeti haven’t spent any time, except for watching the occasional TV show, reading and investigating the possibility.