Using hair samples people claimed belonged to Bigfoot, a scientist conducted a study to prove or debunk the popular rumors of the shaggy monster.
The purpose of the study was really to clarify rumors of all cryptids-creatures of dubious existence-such as the Yeti and the Abominable Snowman. Much to the chagrin of believers, the findings showed that the hairs were from various known animals such as raccoon, bears, horses and cattle.
Bryan Sykes of the University of Oxford led the study out of his own interest in a theory that stated that some remaining Neanderthal population might have led people to believe the Yeti legend.
He found, however, that the hair samples of the Yeti yielded DNA that most closely matched the DNA of a prehistoric polar bear. Sykes believes that the legend of the Yeti, and possibly that of the Abominable Snowman, likely stemmed from this aggressive bear's presence in the Himalayas.
Some scientists are not convinced of Sykes' Yeti explanation, claiming that he only observed short fragments of DNA, too small to conclude that the samples were from a polar bear. But Sykes remains convinced that the techniques he used for genetic analysis are promising and accurate.
When he started the DNA study two years ago, Sykes said, "recent advances in the techniques of genetic analysis of organic remains provide a mechanism for genus and species identification that is unbiased, unambiguous and impervious to falsification." He does, however, admit that more genetic material is necessary to completely rule out any other theory for the Yeti legend.
Sykes claims that his method of genetic analysis can extract DNA from specimens as old as 50 years, even when such specimens are not well preserved. While his work debunked some of the Bigfoot and Yeti rumors, he believes he has given believers more reason to hope.
"The good news for Bigfootologists and enthusiasts who are looking forward to proving and identifying what they've been after for years is that there is now a way of doing that, which there never was before," says Sykes.
Sykes was named "Bigfootologist of the Year" for his work on clarifying some of the current evidence attributed to the existence of cryptids.
