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It can be classified, but I doubt in an official manner. Plus it wouldn't be a proper name of their kind to just call them bigfoot, it will be hard to erase that term. If they can mate with modern sapiens with fertile offspring then they would be human with human rights and also subject to our laws governing us. It would not work out for them. That's a major road block. FWIW, I've been on the genus homo coarse from day one on this forum and going on 9 years ago. far before Ketchum came along. The evidence has always spoke the same things to me, "human" but different enough to not fit in our society. It may be that the differences can be found in the nuclear DNA and that would classify it as technically another species, but there would be a political correctness problem in doing so should it be proven they have modern sapiens mitochondria. I want to know what they are for sure, and it can be done with DNA, but most likely only on a personal level, due to all the second guessing that goes on about provenance of samples. It takes multiple independent results from a sample that tests human and which you know should not be, to accept they are human without seeing the creature. I know my sample should not be from an ordinary modern human based on all observations at the time of collection, the morphology etc. Yet it has tested human once. This is why I wanted it tested again and again. Based on other testing of samples outside Ketchum's study, it's clear that no nonhuman ape DNA has ever come from the samples, so I'm not expecting that to change. The descriptor of " wild human" is dominant when experts and witnesses relate their experiences and impressions of the evidence. The collective of that is not likely wrong in my opinion. If I add the tracks and morphology there, plus the audio recordings from people I think are legit and which contain the speech sounds, my hypothesis gets even stronger, while yours requires you to try and shout all the evidence down leaving you with little to none, for a creature that is so well dispersed across the country and should be much easier to find without human intelligence.

I don't think so, Gigantor, as I know of a few in their 20's who are carrying the torch. There's Nathanfooter, not currently active on the board, and a very enthusiastic young man that posts to our own local board here in BC. There was also a father & 12 year old son at the FB townhall last spring with experiences to share. It looks like I'm the "old guy" in the bunch so far, the only one in the 71-80 category. Lets get this done before I kick the bucket, guys!

No one under 30? Good! I've always said you can't trust anyone under 30! ;-) t.

Georgerm; In my opinion you and Norse have carried on a very civil and informative discussion that's moved the science clock forward. Seems like Norse would appreciate Ketchum more since she is trying to get a grip on bigfoot like the rest of us. We are all on the same team. ------------------------------ We dont need the likes of her on the team. She gives the whole subject a bad name, because of fraud, incompetence and being downright crazy. Dogmen? Alien Star Child? Hello? If we want to be taken seriously by the scientific community? Then we need to flog the Melba Ketchum's away from our midst. We need solid professional people in our corner. If we think Sasquatch is a primate? Then we need geneticists who work with primate DNA every day. And we need scientists who build a hypothesis based on the evidence and test it vigorously. Instead of tweaking the evidence to support their pre conceived notions. Southern Yahoo and others on here have swallowed a bunch of Ketchum kool aid. This isnt the first time I've encountered this mindset. It makes no sense to me but I suppose this whole subject makes little sense. To say that an animal cannot be placed on the tree of life through DNA is very odd to me. I know SY contributed to the Ketchum DNA study and I respect him for that. It's the people doing the hard work in the field that keeps this thing alive. But lets not double down on a rotten hand......lets ask for a new hand.

I'm an Aircraft Technician, age 52 well rounded in the mid section, with some artistic ability.

Retired from a technical career at 53 due to health challenges, now a month away from 65 and able to explore my wide ranging interests. My wife and best friend just put in 60 days notice to her board this morning and when we have our 39th anniversary in July we'll be embarked on a new chapter of our journey to forever together. Part of that will include exploring the many parts of Montana we've missed as well as points west. With luck, we may even meet some of the fine folks from the forum!

Better talk to Disotell about that, he says some species of primate are speciated through hybridization. Meaning they have a maternal lineage from another species. I don't know where you get the idea that one or the other has to go extinct, but it's apparent that mitochondrial testing wouldn't work to distinguish species in the scenario above. Its possible that bigfoot would retain certain mutations adapted for their environment and have an equally small contribution in nudna from us, while the rest is virtually identical for other ancestral reasons. If the crossing never stopped, the mitochondrial DNA is constantly being updated, and would confirm the native tales.

This is pointed at me obviously, but unfortunately it makes no sense.You can make fun of me for not having a physical encounter and you can think Im a greedy evil person for shooting one if I ever do have an encounter. Your entitled to your opinion, so be it. But unfortunately for you and I and every other proponent? Ketchum's failure had nothing to do with human greed and everything to do with human incompetence. And it doesnt help her cause that on top of her incompetence she seems to be involved in some way in the matilda hoax. And she is also now a proponent in Dogmen and Alien Hybrids (south american skull enlongations). Its not science that she is doing, it must be either fame recognition that drives her as DNA studies on farm animals must have become tedious and boring OR she has always held a fascination for fringe science and has now decided to indulge her self completely...... I just want the truth. I think her study could have gone differently for sure, especially if she hadn't needed nuclear DNA to start with. Better study of the hair morphology could have eliminated bear samples up front. I sure thought that a mixture of genomes would assemble themselves separately in next generation technology, but apparently that's not the case. She took in hundreds of samples from across this community, but absolutely no nonhuman ape DNA arose from it in the mitochondrial, maternal lineages. That's what should concern you, that all those serious enough to look for samples, has already failed to find your patty. The nuclear DNA persuit started at the Y chromosome and had many failures, with some potentially attributed to drastic differences in the genome leading to failure of the primers. That's why the whole nuclear genomes were done and the scant availability of viable samples containing nuDna forced poor choices in sample selection. Its drastically different because its human contaminated Bear hair, Raccoon hair, whatever. What she is proposing is impossible within evolution. And either its over her pay grade to understand or she is ignoring it to become famous. Hoping that she could float the boat in the lime light for as long as possible.Think on this, if her crummy paper was trying to classify a new species of tree frog? None of us would have ever heard of her. Chimps are 98% human genetically, so the DNA , if from a bigfoot will be closer than that with all their human like physical form. Ketchum could be easily right, without the proof. Not that bigfoot is a man bear, but that they are a wildman, as she proposed they are. Ain't it funny how easily you forget that?

I am amused and dismayed at the pundits that think they're somehow experts but have yet to experience the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot moment of a close encounter. Melba was onto something but (IMO) the almighty dollar reared it's head especially when others involved began to write themselves into the Foundation at high five figure salaries, etc. and that's when I basically said AMF as the purity of the endeavor was contaminated with human greed. Same goes for anyone thinking they're on some noble quest to bring in a slab monkey for altruistic (aka: scientific) purposes. They're lying to the most important person of all...themselves.

Why do we retain old genes from earlier forms? Might it be nature's way of throwing them in the garage in case they are needed again at some point? If so, would it be strange for a species to re-develop the ability to see in the dark based on necessity and selection?