Posted: Jul 18, 2014 6:58 pm
Skepticblog ยป Bigfoot and Yeti DNA: results are in
Sykes paper is a clarion call for higher standards for cryptozoology | Doubtful -- by Sharon Hill
Genetic analysis of hair samples attributed to yeti, bigfoot and other anomalous primates - Bryan Sykes and his colleagues
In contrast to Melba Ketchum's shoddy work, Bryan Sykes's work was a professional job. He and his colleagues sequenced genetic material from several hairs that purportedly came from Yeti or Sasquatch or similar animals. They then compared it to sequences stored in the GenBank archive, and they found several close matches.
Polar bears in the Himalayas? They could have been the closest sampled relatives of some Himalayan bears.
Raccoons and American black bears in Russia? Were those introduced animals or were some samples accidentally mixed up?
Sykes paper is a clarion call for higher standards for cryptozoology | Doubtful -- by Sharon Hill
Genetic analysis of hair samples attributed to yeti, bigfoot and other anomalous primates - Bryan Sykes and his colleagues
In contrast to Melba Ketchum's shoddy work, Bryan Sykes's work was a professional job. He and his colleagues sequenced genetic material from several hairs that purportedly came from Yeti or Sasquatch or similar animals. They then compared it to sequences stored in the GenBank archive, and they found several close matches.
- Himalayas: polar bear, serow (goat-like ungulate)
- Russia: brown bear, bovine, horse, raccoon, American black bear
- Sumatra: Malaysian tapir (piglike odd-toed ungulate)
- US: American black bear, canid (wolf/coyote/dog), mule deer, bovine, sheep, horse, North American porcupine, raccoon, human
Polar bears in the Himalayas? They could have been the closest sampled relatives of some Himalayan bears.
Raccoons and American black bears in Russia? Were those introduced animals or were some samples accidentally mixed up?