Bigfoot Hair Samples Reveal Sasquatch? Scientists Debunk Bear, Wolf and Racoon Furs
Bigfoot hair samples have been DNA tested by Oxford University and Lausanne Museum researchers, and they discovered surprising results. After analyzing 36 alleged pieces of Himalayan Yeti and Sasquatch hair, scientists found that all the hairs actually belonged to various animals like bears, wolves and raccoons.
The Bigfoot hair samples were received in 2012 from a number of museums and collectors and tested macroscopically, microscopically and with infrared fluorescence tests to see if any of the 57 fibers were even hair. After eliminating a substantial amount— some were glass fibers or even plant material— they were left with 36 hairs total.
"I thought there was about a 5 percent chance of finding a sample from a Neanderthal or (a Yeti)," Oxford's lead researcher on the project, Bryan Sykes, explained.
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The team found that the alleged Bigfoot hair samples belonged to most bears, with hairs from a Malaysian tapir, some horses, a porcupine, deer, sheep and even a human being thrown in. Even though the results were disappointing for many researchers and cryptozoologists, Sykes was adamant that anything is still possible.
"The fact that none of these samples turned out to be (a Yeti) doesn't mean the next one won't," he said.
However, there are detractors and critics of the study, which was published Wednesday in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
"I would want visual or physical proof, like a body part, on top of the DNA evidence," Todd Disotell, an anthropology professor at New York University, told the Associated Press. "Every mammal in the forest leaves hair and poop behind and that's what we've found," he said. "Just not the big guy himself."
Duke University ecologist Todd Disotell is even more skeptical.
"Those who believe in the Yeti, Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster need basic instruction in sex," he said. "Each Yeti has two parents, four grandparents and so on. There should have been herds of (Yetis)," he wrote. "Where were they hiding?"
