Science, Bitch

This just in -

LONDON (AP) — DNA testing is taking a bite out of the Bigfoot legend. After scientists analyzed more than 30 hair samples reportedly left behind by Bigfoot and similar mythical beasts like the Himalayan Yeti, they found all of them came from more mundane creatures like bears, wolves, cows and raccoons.

In 2012, researchers at Oxford University and the Lausanne Museum of Zoology issued an open call asking museums, scientists and Bigfoot aficionados to share any samples they thought were from the legendary ape-like creatures.
"I thought there was about a 5 percent chance of finding a sample from a Neanderthal or (a Yeti)," said Bryan Sykes of Oxford University, who led the research, the first peer-reviewed study of Bigfoot, Yeti and other "anomalous primates." The study was published online Wednesday in the journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Sykes and colleagues tested 36 hair samples from Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Russia and the U.S. using DNA sequencing and all of them matched DNA from known animals. Most were from bears, but there were also hairs from a Malaysian tapir, horses, porcupine, deer, sheep, and a human.

While Sykes said they didn't find any proof of Bigfoot-related creatures, he acknowledged their paper doesn't prove they don't exist.

That last bit - "he acknowledged their paper doesn't prove they don't exist" is an important thingie.  While it's likely that these bigfoot critters don't exist, nobody worth listening to is trying to disprove anything.  The point of the exercise is to test whatever "evidence" is presented simply to find out if that evidence supports the hypothesis or not.

The other thing to remember is that even tho' there's real proof that these hair samples are confirmed not bigfoot, I'm betting this disappointment doesn't portend the demise of the Bigfoot Industrial Complex.

There's a True Believer born every minute.