Yeti
DNA is back in the news once more as Wired.UK is reporting that a new
study is being designed in order to collect samples of the elusive
cryptids DNA. According to the article, the Oxford
University and the Lausanne Museum of Zoology are combining their
efforts in order to find the best sample of Yeti remains that can be
tested for DNA. As a part of their goal;
The Oxford-Lausanne Collateral Hominid Project has
been created to try and entice people and institutions with
collections of cryptozoological material to submit it for analysis.
Anyone with a sample of organic remains can submit details of where
and when it was collected, among other data.
Once
a reasonable database has been collected, the team will select the
most interesting samples (hair shafts are particularly desirable,
apparently) and ask the owners to submit them for rigorous genetic
analysis. The results of these analyses will be published in
peer-reviewed journals.
A
member of Wolfson College, Oxford was interviewed by Wired.UK for the
article and he seems to be far more optimistic than I am about their
chance of determining anything meaningful. Bryan Sykes said quote:
"Mainstream
science remains unconvinced by these reports both through lack of
testable evidence and the scope for fraudulent claims. However,
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. It is
possible that a scientific examination of these neglected specimens
could tell us more about how Neanderthals and other early hominids
interacted and spread around the world."
If
you happen to be a group or individual that has what you believe to
be Yeti DNA you can go to the Project's website to find out how to
submit your sample for testing. I wish that I could be a little bit
more excited about this project and in some ways I am. It's great
that a scientific body is taking an aspect of the paranormal
seriously. Although I do have a couple of issues with this kind of
project. I'm not a scientist by any means, but it's my understanding
that at best in these kinds of DNA testing situations they will only
be able to tell what the sample isn't. In other words, this isn't the
first time that supposed Yeti, or Bigfoot, DNA is going to be tested.
The results usually end up being that the sample isn't human, bear,
or any other known large animal. Which I suppose is something. But it
doesn't really tell us anything for certain.
Add
to that the fact that I haven't been convinced that the Yeti, or any
of the giant man-apes for that mattter, are necessarily a physical
flesh and blood creature. After all there are some very paranormal
reports of Yeti's that have been encountered over the years. It may
be that we aren't dealing with a truly 'real' creature in some sense
of the word. In which case DNA testing may not be all that easy.
That's not to say that I don't think the project should not still go
through with it. I could very well be wrong and there could in fact
exist an undiscovered large species of primate that lives in the
remote wilderness of the world. I wish them luck. At the very least
they could rule out some spurious evidence.
I for one hope that
Jeffrey Gonzalez of the Sanger Paranormal Group submits his Bigfoot
DNA evidence for testing. After my slightly negative review of
Gonzalez's conference held last year to discuss his findings, I spoke
with Greg Bishop who interviewed Gonzalez. In that interview Gonzalez
told Bishop that he was looking for a place to send his sample in for
testing and it sounds as though this could be his best opportunity to
do that. You can listen to that interview at this link.
I'll
certainly keep my ears to the ground on this story because it will be
interesting to see how it develops in the coming days and months.
Feel free to head over to the Project's website for more information
about how to submit a sample if you feel you have one. Until next,
this is your friendly neighborhood Fortean Philosopher saying “Good
night and good luck!”
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