The week in silly studies: DNA proves Bigfoot exists, scientists disagree

A lot of people have claimed to see Bigfoot, a Sasquatch or a Yeti, but unfortunately for the rest of us, the images are grainy and it's hard to tell if it's Bigfoot or a big black dot. But now for the first time, a scientist is claiming to have proof the elusive creature exists.

The story made headlines in November when Texas veterinarian Melba S. Ketchum suggested these beasts mated with modern human females and created some sort of hybrid animal.

"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," said Ketchum in a statement.

[ Last week's silly study: Going on vacation is good for your health ]

Many, especially those in the scientific community, wondered about the validity of the research. That was until late last week when people were actually able to criticize it. That's because the study was finally published in a publication called DeNovo Scientific Journal. It is five years of research that until a few days ago had not been published.

The study uses 1,100 samples of Bigfoot hair, blood, mucus, and skin from Bigfoot buffs all over North America and found it to have different DNA than common animals such as deer, cows and foxes.

[ Related: Quebec woman claims to have spotted Bigfoot while berry picking ]

But the study hasn't been exactly well received. It claims they did everything they could to minimize contamination of the samples, but they were handed in by people who most likely don't know about evidence gathering and didn't see the animal that left it, as LiveScience notes.

But the most interesting part of this study may be the journal it was published in. The research has been rejected by other scientific journals and DeNovo Scientific Journal didn't appear to exist until three weeks ago. No libraries or universities subscribe to it, this study is the only one in the journal and there is no indication that other scientists peer reviewed the study.

[ Related: Canadian scientists invited to Russia to hunt for Bigfoot ]

According to Discovery News, Ketchum conducted her research not for money or fame, but as a first step in obtaining legal status for Bigfoot. She wants the government to recognize them as an indigenous people and protect their constitutional rights so people can't hunt them.

Unfortunately for Ketchum, no one seems to be hunting the animals or at least no one has ever captured one.

(LiveScience image)

The week in silly studies is a feature that appears each Tuesday.
It is not intended to mock real science.

For all the latest in science and weather,
follow @ygeekquinox on Twitter.