Bigfoot DNA

[hardaker]

I don't know if this is a hoax, but the guy -- David Paulides --was just on coast-to-coast, and there was this press release at the link below. I'm probably putting my foot into it, but is this legit? It says the doctor is available for interviews.

http://www.nabigfootsearch.com/home.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

‘BIGFOOT’ DNA SEQUENCED IN UPCOMING GENETICS STUDY

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

Contact: Robin Lynne, media@dnadiagnostics.com, 231.622.5362

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.

###

Dr. Ketchum is available for interview or to answer further questions about the Sasquatch genome study and associated research on novel contemporary hominins at media@dnadiagnostics.com
Dr. Melba S. Ketchum
Director
DNA Diagnostics
P. O. Box 805
Garrison, TX 75946

Phone: 936-332-0170 Direct
E-mail: msketchum@dnadiagnostics.com

[circumspice]

The mitochondrial part of the sample could be modern human contamination. The researcher IS female. As far as the nuclear DNA part of the sample, who knows?

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the peer review process, if that does indeed occur. I wonder where the study will be published & by whom the peer review will be conducted?

Time will tell.

[oldarchystudent]

As soon as the word "bigfoot" appears in the title, don't expect a deluge of academia to be fighting for a place in line to review it. As you suggest, I doubt it will even get to the peer review stage.

But I agree - I would be interested to see what such a review would come up with.

[kbs2244]

Where did the sample they tested come from?

[hardaker]

good question. it is something that should not be missing from the article.
possibly some hair?

[Minimalist]

http://www.corporationwiki.com/Californ ... 51083.aspx

North America Bigfoot Search LLC has a location in Los Gatos, CA. Active officers include David Paulides. North America Bigfoot Search LLC filed as a Domestic on Thursday, March 27, 2008 in the state of California and is currently active. David Paulides serves as the registered agent for this organization.

Now...call me cynical ( actually I have been called much worse!) but why does it always seem that UFO enthusiasts always find UFOs, and Atlantis enthusiasts always find Atlantis, and Ark Hunters always find Noah's Ark, etc.

While I agree with OldArchy about peer review the fact is this is exactly the kind of thing that Eric Cline was speaking of some years ago in http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/ ... ?page=full

When real scholars leave to field to the crackpots they should not be surprised when the public only knows about the crackpots!

[Ernie L]

Bummer it looks like Her facebook page is off line at the moment. I was going to ask Her for ya...about the source ..

Dr.Ketchum shares photos
http://bigfootevidence.blogspot.com/201 ... ml#moretop

darned good pictures on Mr. Huge Ped..er I mean bigfoot...people are so creative.
http://bigfootevidence.blogspot.com/201 ... anada.html

If you are signed up on facebook http://www.facebook.com/melba.ketchum

and the skeptics speak http://doubtfulnews.com/2012/11/melba-k ... -the-data/

[uniface]

It's worse when the "scholars" are the crackpots.

Anybody remember when one of them could imagine, in the comfort of his office, a scenerio where the "too early" charcoal discoveries near the bottom of Meadowcroft Rockshelter could have been contaminated by coal particles in the groundwater ? And since this might have been the case, this meant that they were contaminated by it ?

Until it turned out that people with actual competence in geology actually looked into the situation at first hand and demonstrated that there had never been groundwater involvement ?

I do.

[circumspice]

Anyone can make any claim they wish. Then they can 'publish' that claim. Easy-peasey.

Now pay close attention here...

This is where the peer review process comes in...

The claims can then be examined by 'peers' who have credentials in the required fields. (sorry, there is no accredidation for 'Crackpot', therefore no peer review there)

Then begins what can be a lengthy process where the claims are reviewed, the physical evidence examined, the lab processes checked for errors or reliability, etc.

After all that, we get all the long winded arguments both pro & con. Everybody writes a paper on the subject.

Sometimes they refute the original findings, sometimes they support the original findings. Sometimes both. Meadowcroft is a good example of the process. All it took was enough scholars to take an interest, examine the evidence & weigh in on the subject. That one shook down quite nicely. It seems to show that the peer review process CAN & DOES work.

If you want to be able to make a claim on any subject & bypass the peer review process, you are a con artist or a crackpot. Take your pick.

[hardaker]

If it's DNA, results must be replicable. It will not fly if another lab cannot repeat the test. Which gets back to the source of the sample. Sent her a request for the info.

There was a prof, Grover Krance, a physical anthropologist years ago. Had some real good footprint evidence. Gave a great lecture, and his articles were good. A brave guy who flew in the face of his profession for even looking at the data. He went where it took him. Had a print series with a deformed foot that jived with the altered center of gravity.

[hardaker]

Dr. Melba S. Ketchum is on Coast to Coast AM tonight (now).
She sounds legit. Other labs tested the samples.
Paper is being peer-reviewed; donno by who.
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2012/12/23

mostly hair samples, some skin, and fluids.
She was in on the field collection.
Should be able to find the interview on the net somewhere.

[uniface]

Now pay close attention here...

This is where the peer review process comes in...

No. This is where the ideologue gets on her soapbox.

"Peer Review" (a thoroughly Soviet procedure) guarantees nothing.

The Meadowcroft data were NOT vindicated by the army of "peers" who rushed into print trying to "debunk" it on any pretext imaginable. It was vindicated, in the end, by one geologist who demonstrated, beyond refutiation, that the scribbling army of "peers" was full of shit.

Now -- revisionist history in it's baldest form -- you want to assign them credit for what they tried their darndest to deny, discredit and rationalise away.

In the final analysis, evidence speaks for itself. The "peers" are the peanut gallery.

PS : how many people convicted of murder on DNA evidence get double-blind test confirmations from two different labs ?

PPS : Merry Christmas !

[E.P. Grondine]

"Now -- revisionist history in it's baldest form -- you want to assign them credit for what they tried their darndest to deny, discredit and rationalise away.

"In the final analysis, evidence speaks for itself. The "peers" are the peanut gallery.

Hi uniface -
Impact studies are a great example of a massive failure of the peer review process.

You can take a look at the Holocene Start Impact debate to start, but that's only the surface. The more you know about it, the worse it gets.

By the way, it turns out Nicole Simpson's house painter was/is a serial killer.
How's that for stunning news?

[hardaker]

hadn't heard that about oj. Checked it out, and later this week there's a show about the serial killer on Investigation Discovery channel (192, dishtv).

Bigfoot - interview with Dr.Melba Ketchum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcp3Ca5GD4o
great discussion on the working of science with anomalous data.

[shawomet]

Here's the latest. Would not really call it peer reviewed as such, until more is known, but a lot of people put their names out there. Rather hard to believe these cute little things would have originated in the manner described. Personally, I've never had a problem believing that Sasquatch might be out there, but a cross with humans?

http://bigfootevidence.blogspot.com/201 ... paper.html

This may be a self-publication journal, a bit more info in the Feb. 13 entry at The Anomalist:

http://www.anomalist.com/