The Sykes / Sartori Report - Oxford-Lausanne Collateral Hominid Project

[Guest slimwitless]

Nice find. Looks like he's going for peer review. Whether or not he will be the first is an open question, right?

The collection phase of the project will run through September, with genetic testing following that through November. After that, Sykes said, they will write up the results for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal; this would be the first such publication of cryptozoology results, he said.

[Guest]

WTB, note that I am not laughing...

Did you take out a loan to buy that much straw for your army of straw men?

Scientists (as in individuals) have been willing to look at BF evidence openly and objectively, at no small risk to their professional reputations (as Dr Meldrum has found out).

Science (as in the institution or body that makes up the profession) has to date not engaged the BF evidence in any meaningful and objective way.

The DNA studies may be the first baby step towards that changing. It depends on how institutional science reacts to any findings.

I'm not correcting you again, WTB. Stop misrepresenting me.

Edited May 22, 2012 by Mulder

[Drew]

http://www.wolfson.o...ic/GBFs-v/OLCHP

There you go, real scientists, studying Bigfoots.

I'm sure this is being passed around all of the hoaxing websites as well. People are pulling hairs out of every big-hairy dude they can find.

Edited May 22, 2012 by Drew

[Guest]

Okay, so what's the number that equals the institution or body then? 30 scientists? 300? 2000? I ask because I certainly don't want you to have to correct me again.

[Guest JiggyPotamus]

University of Oxford huh? Isn't this where Meldrums colleague for the DNA study teaches? I am wondering if they know something we don't, because it sure seems like there are a lot of DNA studies being undertaken recently. I hope there are still some samples left, lol. There will be zero doubt with a university this credible, unless they would blatantly cover up the discovery of sasquatch, which I don't think would happen at this point.

So if the samples are legit and not contaminated, this could be good. But that darn mitochondrial DNA may be tricky for a squatch, but I trust they know what they're doing. But no, science is not looking imo. If they were looking they would be beating the bush collecting their own samples. But this could be considered better than "looking" as well. I already knew, as others did as well, that in the beginning, when things actually started to happen, the amateur researchers were going to have to help the professionals along, and it is happening in regards to samples.

Scientists could go out into the woods, but the vast majority of them wouldn't know what to look for in my opinion, because they know absolutely nothing about sasquatch. But all that really matters is that this is a good opportunity to make a big stir, with all 3 of these studies having the potential to confirm the existence of this animal. It still may be a long wait though.

[Guest]

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/05/22/scientists-use-dna-tests-in-hunt-for-bigfoot/?intcmp=features

[Guest MikeG]

University of Oxford huh?

Pedant's hat on.........no, it's Oxford University. One of the two best Universities in Britain, along with Cambridge.

Not to be confused with Oxford Brookes university, one the two best universities in Oxford.......number 2 out of 2, as it happens.

Mike

[Guest]

Discover picked it up...http://news.discovery.com/animals/big-foot-genetic-testing-120522.html

[Guest minnie-ear]

Scientists have been looking since the early 70's. Grover Krantz? Henner Farenbach? John Bendernagel? Jeff Meldrum? I'm sure there are a few more hidden away and keeping it quiet. Sounds to me like they English are more into the Yeti. Proving the Yeti won't prove the Sasquatch.

[Guest BFSleuth]

Read this (posted on other threads):

http://www.wolfson.ox.ac.uk/academic/GBFs-v/OLCHP

"As part of a larger enquiry into the genetic relationship between our own species Homo sapiens and other hominids, we invite submissions of organic material from formally undescribed species, or “cryptidsâ€, for the purpose of their species identification by genetic means."

This is not a formal request for submission of potential Yeti samples, rather a more broad based submission of "cryptids" samples.

I think its time to fold several of these threads into one so we can have a more coherent discussion about the issue.

Moderator Action :

In order to facilitate discussion of this topic I have merged three threads:

- The Meldrum Report

- Now Can It Be Said Scientists Are Looking?

- Yeti Genome

The thread is now renames The Meldrum / Sykes Report to more accurately reflect the persons involved.

[Guest Particle Noun]

The mainstream interest in an upcoming study pretty much puts to the lie that there will be no media coverage of Ketchum's study when it is released, no? Certainly more coverage than the weekly world news as at least one skeptic has ridiculed.

[bipedalist]

Scientists have been looking since the early 70's. Grover Krantz? Henner Farenbach? John Bendernagel? Jeff Meldrum? I'm sure there are a few more hidden away and keeping it quiet. Sounds to me like they English are more into the Yeti. Proving the Yeti won't prove the Sasquatch.

Yeah, but proving a four foot orang pendek exists could go a long way toward unification, lol.

Edited May 22, 2012 by bipedalist

[Guest UPs]

My personal take on this is that this projects timeline is much too short. I would expect a serious project to obtain their owns samples along with requesting these other samples. It is good that they acknowledge the lack of serious inquiry by science though and are prepared to at least dot the i. Based on the timeline alone, the best outcome that I can envision is it needs further study.......

Is there any precedent for a project such as this in that academia asks for samples from any interested party? When I first read about this I got all warm and fuzzy, then the warm wore off and now I am barely fuzzy. Anyone know how this is being funded?

[Guest BFSleuth]

I would think that Oxford would be funding it, or the grant(s) that support Dr. Sykes's research.

The timeline does seem aggressive to me. I would not be surprised to see the publication date slip a tad. It may be that he already has possession of a few samples and is requesting additional samples to create a viable data set.

[Guest]

My personal take on this is that this projects timeline is much too short. I would expect a serious project to obtain their owns samples along with requesting these other samples.

They may have some samples already, and simply be open to obtaining more. Dr Meldrum supposedly has a piece of the "Smeja steak", for example that could easily go into the study.