Bigfoot

[Zarathustra]

Cool! I can't wait to hear the results. I've been checking the blog ever since you first posted. What do you think the results will be?

[Zarathustra]

Ketchum gave a press release yesterday. The full results will be released once her manuscript is published in a peer reviewed science journal. Apparently, she has three complete genome sequences, independently verified by numerous labs. She claims it's a human hybrid with an unknown hominim species.

‘BIGFOOT’ DNA SEQUENCED IN UPCOMING GENETICS STUDY

Five-Year Genome Study Yields Evidence of Homo sapiens/Unknown Hominin Hybrid Species in North America

DALLAS, Nov. 24--A team of scientists can verify that their 5-year long DNA study, currently under peer-review, confirms the existence of a novel hominin hybrid species, commonly called “Bigfoot” or “Sasquatch,” living in North America. Researchers’ extensive DNA sequencing suggests that the legendary Sasquatch is a human relative that arose approximately 15,000 years ago as a hybrid cross of modern Homo sapiens with an unknown primate species.

The study was conducted by a team of experts in genetics, forensics, imaging and pathology, led by Dr. Melba S. Ketchum of Nacogdoches, TX. In response to recent interest in the study, Dr. Ketchum can confirm that her team has sequenced 3 complete Sasquatch nuclear genomes and determined the species is a human hybrid:

“Our study has sequenced 20 whole mitochondrial genomes and utilized next generation sequencing to obtain 3 whole nuclear genomes from purported Sasquatch samples. The genome sequencing shows that Sasquatch mtDNA is identical to modern Homo sapiens, but Sasquatch nuDNA is a novel, unknown hominin related to Homo sapiens and other primate species. Our data indicate that the North American Sasquatch is a hybrid species, the result of males of an unknown hominin species crossing with female Homo sapiens.

Hominins are members of the taxonomic grouping Hominini, which includes all members of the genus Homo. Genetic testing has already ruled out Homo neanderthalis and the Denisova hominin as contributors to Sasquatch mtDNA or nuDNA. “The male progenitor that contributed the unknown sequence to this hybrid is unique as its DNA is more distantly removed from humans than other recently discovered hominins like the Denisovan individual,” explains Ketchum.

“Sasquatch nuclear DNA is incredibly novel and not at all what we had expected. While it has human nuclear DNA within its genome, there are also distinctly non-human, non-archaic hominin, and non-ape sequences. We describe it as a mosaic of human and novel non-human sequence. Further study is needed and is ongoing to better characterize and understand Sasquatch nuclear DNA.”

Ketchum is a veterinarian whose professional experience includes 27 years of research in genetics, including forensics. Early in her career she also practiced veterinary medicine, and she has previously been published as a participant in mapping the equine genome. She began testing the DNA of purported Sasquatch hair samples 5 years ago.

Ketchum calls on public officials and law enforcement to immediately recognize the Sasquatch as an indigenous people:

“Genetically, the Sasquatch are a human hybrid with unambiguously modern human maternal ancestry. Government at all levels must recognize them as an indigenous people and immediately protect their human and Constitutional rights against those who would see in their physical and cultural differences a ‘license’ to hunt, trap, or kill them.”

Full details of the study will be presented in the near future when the study manuscript publishes.

link

Just in time for the end of the world!

But seriously, if this is legit, it would be world-shattering news. It would mean we're not alone. Another intelligent human relative is living with us on this planet. I wonder what this would do to our conception of ourselves. I would hope it would undermine superstition, religion, etc. and cause a global shift toward acceptance of evolution, science, reason (wouldn't that be an ironic result of confirming a "mythological" creature?), but I fear that people would simply find ways to tack it onto their religious worldviews. I've already seen comments by people who think this proves parts of the Old Testament about giants and interbreeding with angels or something.

[aliantha]

You sure they'll be proven to be intelligent? Do we have evidence of tool usage and/or language among the Sasquatch?

If our historical treatment of other *human* races is any indication, I predict we'll attempt to enslave the Sasquatch -- and when that doesn't work, we'll try to exterminate them.

Sorry to be a downer. I do think it would be cool if Bigfoot turned out to be real. I just don't think it would be good news for Bigfoot.

[wayfriend]

Just in time for the end of the world!

Sasquatches are stealing our women and mating with them. Isn't that the end of the world already?

Please do not try to visualize this. ... Too late.

[Zarathustra]

Ali, I seriously doubt we'd try to enslave them. Do we enslave apes? We'd probably declare them an endangered species and protect the bejesus out of them.

I have no idea if they're intelligent. That's Ketchum's claim. But I think it's possible to tell from the DNA how close they are to humans, and given that information we could predict they're likely to have similar intelligence. There are purported recordings of "Bigfoot language," and American Indian tribes claim to have communicated with them.

There are lots of reasons to doubt Ketchum. The stories around her are about as "crazy" as some of the stories of Bigfoot himself. But this is the most credible claim I've heard. Sequencing three complete genomes by a DNA expert sure beats a fuzzy movie of a guy in a suit.

The hybridization with an unknown hominid is the part I find particularly interesting, because it's so close to being plausible. We know that different forms of humans interbred, because we've got Neanderthal DNA ourselves. We know there were times in the past when many different kinds of humans shared the planet, and interbreeding took place. The ONLY thing remarkable about this story is the idea that any still exist. Nothing else about it is incredible. If you can believe that this intelligent and rare hominid has thus far escaped an "official" discovery for all this time in its natural habitat, then nothing else about it is implausible. And many people will tell you that he hasn't evaded discovery at all, because they've seen him.

It is interesting that she has concluded that the hybridization event occurred not more than 15,000 YBP, and that it was a result of male subhumans breeding with female humans.

It is also interesting that both Neandertal and Denisova have been ruled out as the subhuman on the nuclear side. The report also says for the first time that the subhuman on the nuclear side is substantially more ancient than either Denisova or Neandertal.

As Denisova split from us 800,000 YBP, this means that the Bigfoot nuclear subhuman split from us before that. That leaves us possibly with Homo Erectus or one of his relatives like Homo Heidelbergensis.

This also means that a hominid more ancient than even Denisova was still roaming the Earth only 15,000 YBP. This is shocking, but it’s possible, as Homo Floresiensis was also roaming the Earth 13,000 YBP, and Flores Man is quite a bit more ancient than Denisova. Dr. Jeff Meldrum also states that we have a Homo Heidelbergensis skull from China from only 12,000 YBP.

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