The InformationWeek -- Blogs
Digital Life

Topics:   Digital Life

  • Email this page E-mail this page
  • Print this page Print this page
  • Bookmark and Share
  • icon

Bigfoot DNA Evidence 'Inconclusive', Researchers Claim


Posted by Paul McDougall, Aug 17, 2008 04:45 PM

The so-called "DNA evidence" that was supposed to prove the existence of the legendary beast Bigfoot turned out to be mixed with that of a possum, according to researchers who studied the genetic material.


The "Bigfoot DNA" also included human material and DNA from a source that was "inconclusive," said researchers at the University of Minnesota, according to a group of hunters that claims to have found a dead Bigfoot in the woods of northern Georgia and who sent pieces of the animal's flesh to the university for analysis.

The hunters, who operate a Web site called SearchingForBigfoot.com, revealed the findings at a press conference Friday in Palo Alto.

They also showed photos of what they claim is the deceased Sasquatch, stuffed into what appeared to be an old refrigerator. For the most part, the head resembled a rubber gorilla mask. "It just looks like a costume with some fake guts thrown on top for effect," said Jeffrey Meldrum, an Idaho State University professor, in an interview with Scientific American.

The body "weighs over five hundred pounds" and "is male," the group insisted on its Web site. "The feet are flat and similar to human feet," the description continued. "The creature is seven feet, seven inches tall," it said.

The Bigfoot hunters claim they are keeping the body at an undisclosed location until a full autopsy can be performed.

Internet records show that SearchingForBigfoot.com was registered to a California-based company called The Bigfoot Hunters in 2006 by Robert Schmalzbach, a Java programmer from the Silicon Valley area.

Word of the purported discovery resounded across the Web last week, with everyone from the New York Times to obscure bloggers weighing in. But rather than prove the existence of Bigfoot, it appears that what Schmalzbach and company really demonstrated was that, in the Internet era, there's sucker born every nanosecond.

« Usability Is More Than A Good Site Map | Main | Microsoft Blue Hat Fall '08: Security Researchers Want To Hack You »



Sign Up Now
For InformationWeek News Alerts




This is a public forum. United Business Media and its affiliates are not responsible for and do not control what is posted herein. United Business Media makes no warranties or guarantees concerning any advice dispensed by its staff members or readers.

Community standards in this comment area do not permit hate language, excessive profanity, or other patently offensive language. Please be aware that all information posted to this comment area becomes the property of United Business Media LLC and may be edited and republished in print or electronic format as outlined in United Business Media's Terms of Service.

Important Note: This comment area is NOT intended for commercial messages or solicitations of business.




 
Digital Life Video

 

  1. Sequential Programming: Like Eating Peas with a Straw.
  2. Biomolecular device using self-assembled DNA nanostructures?
  3. Coreinfo v2.0: A Simple Utility to Understand the Manycore Complexity in Windows


Join The InformationWeek Group On LinkedIn


                           


  1. More Reasons Why Linux Misses The Desktop
  2. Too Much Netbook For Too Litl?
  3. Motorola Explains Why Droid Doesn't Have Multi-Touch
  4. Sprint And T-Mobile Headed The Wrong Direction


  1. Global CIO: Cloud Computing's New Name: Who Will Win $100 Million?
  2. Google Computes News Quality
  3. Internet Use Increases Social Connectivity
  4. Review: Motorola Cliq Smartphone
  5. Florida Hospital Dials Up iPhones For Nurses
  6. Full Nelson: A Web Presence Needs Sizzle, My Nizzle

 

  Ars Technica
Boing Boing
Channel 9 Forums
CRN Blogs
Dr.Dobb's Portal: Blogs
Engadget
Gizmodo
GrokLaw
  Lifehacker
Schneier on Security
Slashdot
TechCrunch
Techdirt
Techmeme
Valleywag

  DECEMBER 2008
NOVEMBER 2008
OCTOBER 2008
SEPTEMBER 2008
AUGUST 2008
JULY 2008
JUNE 2008
MAY 2008
  APRIL 2008
MARCH 2008
FEBRUARY 2008
JANUARY 2008
DECEMBER 2007
NOVEMBER 2007
OCTOBER 2007
SEPTEMBER 2007