The Abominable Snowman mystery has been solved, and scientists say the giant creature living in the Himalaya’s isn’t a missing link at all but instead a common bear.
The revelation leads to new questions about the creature’s North American counterpart, Bigfoot, which has been the subject of intensive study as of late.
The news of the Abominable Snowman’s true origin was revealed this week. An Oxford University geneticist conducted a study on DNA supposedly belonging to the human-like creature, finding that it is actually a species of bear. This would put to rest speculation that the elusive animal is some form of ape, or an early human ancestor that remained locked in time.
With the mystery seemingly solved, the questions now raised is whether the North American Bigfoot is real as well.
Earlier this month a group calling themselves the Sasquatch Genome Project released a number of video reportedly showing the Bigfoot creature. The group, led by Dr. Melba Ketchum, has been conducting a high-tech analysis of DNA samples reportedly from the Bigfoot.
Their conclusion was a bit different than the Abominable Snowman findings. Ketchum said DNA revealed that the Bigfoot living in the American Northwest is a human relative dating back 13,000 years.
“They’re a type of people, they’re a human-hybrid, we believe. And all of the DNA evidence points to that. And they can elude us, so if you get [footage] at all, it can be fleeting,” Ketchum told ABC affiliate WFAA. She added that the DNA, which came from hair samples, had unique characteristics that set it apart from human and animal samples.
But others have cast doubt on the findings, saying Ketchum and the group are using “junk science” and not interpreting their evidence correctly.
The mystery of the Abominable Snowman was also solved thanks to two DNA samples , one from a single hair and another from the jawbone of a mummified animal discovered by a hunter in the 1970s.
