Scientists to Seek Bigfoot–in DNA
May 25, 2012
A new search for the legendary creatures known as Bigfoot and the Yeti is being mounted by several researchers from Oxford University in the United Kingdom and the Lausanne Museum of Zoology in Switzerland–but they don’t plan to leave their laboratories. Instead of trekking through dense forests or crossing snowy mountains, the researchers plan to use sensitive DNA analysis on samples of hair, blood, and other remains that could have come from the creatures. The researchers are asking wildlife scientists, museums, and Bigfoot enthusiasts to send them written descriptions and photos of any evidence they might have of the creatures. If the descriptions look promising, the researchers will request the physical samples and then test their DNA to determine which species the samples came from. Finding DNA from an unknown primate–the group of mammals that includes monkeys, apes, and human beings–could be evidence that Bigfoot lives and would rank as one of the greatest zoological discoveries in history. “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 Oxford in an interview. Cryptozoology is the scientific investigation of legendary creatures.
Bigfoot, shown here in an artist's depiction, is a humanlike creature said to live in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada. The creature is said to resemble a large ape--with thick fur, long arms, powerful shoulders, and a short neck--but to walk upright like a human being. (World Book illustration)
Bigfoot is a giant apelike creature said to live in forested regions of North America. Stories of this creature appear in American Indian traditions, where the creature is known as Sasquatch. Thousands of people have reported seeing Bigfoot or finding its footprints in North America, but conclusive proof of its existence has yet to be found. Reports of a similar creature come from the Himalaya range of Asia. This creature is called the Yeti or the Abominable Snowman. In 1951, the British explorer Eric Shipton took pictures of “Yeti” tracks near Mount Everest. Since then, several expeditions, including one sponsored by World Book in 1960, have searched for the creature without success.
A few scientists think it is possible that such a large primate could have survived undiscovered in the dense and remote forests of North America and Asia. One theory suggests Bigfoot and the Yeti are small relic populations of primate thought to have gone extinct. Candidates for Bigfoot include such extinct prehistoric humans as Neandertals or Denisovans, a mysterious species that died out in Siberia 40,000 years ago. Another theory suggests that Bigfoot and the Yeti may be surviving populations of Gigantopithecus, a huge ape that lived in the forests of what are now southern China, Vietnam, and northern India. Gigantopithecus, which is believed to have died out 200,000 years ago, was the largest ape to have ever lived.
The Yeti, also called the Abominable Snowman, is a creature said to live on Mount Everest and other mountain ranges of Asia. According to legend, the Yeti is a hairy beast with a large, apelike body and a face that resembles that of a human being. It has long arms that reach to its knees, and it walks erect on its thick legs. (World Book illustration)
Scientists with the Bigfoot DNA project will begin by testing an archive of remains stored at the Lausanne Museum that were assembled by cryptozoologist Bernard Heuvelmans, who investigated reported Yeti sightings from 1950 until his death in 2001. Many sensational reports of Bigfoot remains have been exposed as hoaxes and fakes in the past. The researchers in this project point out that DNA evidence cannot be faked. They expect to published their results in science journals.
Additional World Book articles:
- Shipton, Eric Earle
- Journey to the Top of the World (a Special Report)
