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Bigfoot Could Be Real, Says Science
By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 26, 2012
Modified Nov 26, 2012
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 26, 2012
Modified Nov 26, 2012
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This means more (and more realistic) Bigfoot buddy comedies!
If Aaron Sorkin didn't convince you that Bigfoot was real during the first season of The Newsroom, perhaps a new DNA finding will. After all, as Dev Patel's character pointed out on that show, even "pandas were thought to be a myth until 1869."
But back to REALITY, a team of scientists (experts in genetics, forensics, imaging and pathology) have verified that their 5-year long DNA study "confirms the existence of a novel hominin hybrid species, commonly called 'Bigfoot' or 'Sasquatch,' living in North America." While the study is still under peer review, they believe that the 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."
Dr. Melba S. Ketchum, who headed up the study, says, "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." If you can translate any of that, please do so in the comments.
And while NY State refuses to ban bigfoot hunting (or believe a bigfoot could exist), Ketchum declares: "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."
Anyway, as Neil Gaiman put it, "I do not care if this is true or not. It makes the world a cooler place & it delights me."
I do not care if this is true or not. It makes the world a cooler place & it delights me: j.mp/WPncBb
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) November 26, 2012
Tagged
bigfoot
dna
myth busters
sasquatch
science
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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