© WikimediaUnexplained footprint (left) found in the Himalayas in 1976 by René de Milleville.
The Oxford-Lausanne Collateral Hominid Project invites institutions and individuals with collections of cryptozoological material (cryptozoology: the search for animals whose existence is not proven) to submit details of the samples they hold, and then on request submit the samples themselves, particularly hair shafts, for rigorous genetic analysis. The results will then be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Ever since Eric Shipton's 1951 Everest expedition returned with photographs of giant footprints in the snow there has been speculation that the Himalayas may be home to large creatures 'unknown to science'. Since then, there have been many eye-witness reports of such creatures from several remote regions of the world. They are variously known as the 'yeti' or 'migoi' in the Himalaya, 'bigfoot' or 'sasquatch' in America, 'almasty' in the Caucasus mountains and 'orang pendek' in Sumatra, as well as others.
Professor Bryan Sykes, a Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford, who will lead the project with Michel Sartori, Director of the Lausanne Museum of Zoology, said: "Theories as to their species identification vary from surviving collateral hominid species, such as Homo neanderthalensis or Homo floresiensis, to large primates like Gigantopithecus widely thought to be extinct, to as yet unstudied primate species or local subspecies of black and brown bears.
"Mainstream science remains unconvinced by these reports both through lack of testable evidence and the scope for fraudulent claims. However, recent advances in the techniques of genetic analysis of organic remains provide a mechanism for genus and species identification that is unbiased, unambiguous and impervious to falsification."
These techniques were not available to biologists like Dr. Bernard Heuvelmans, whose 1955 book Sur la Piste des Betes Ignorees (translated into English as On the Track of Unknown Animals) helped foster widespread public interest in the subject. Between 1950 and 2001, the year of his death, Dr. Heuvelmans, as well as investigating numerous claims, assembled a considerable archive that is now curated by the Museum of Zoology in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Professor Sykes said: "It is possible that a scientific examination of these neglected specimens could tell us more about how Neanderthals and other early hominids interacted and spread around the world."
Provided by Oxford University
(This is a note I recently sent to Nick Redfern of Mysterious Universe web site; Jamie Condliffe of Gizmodo website; and Jeffrey Meldrum, a noted Department of Biological Sciences professor at Idaho State University - all airing Bigfoot search articles on their web sites.)
Am I the only one out here that has heard the stories of the giants of the
Solomon Islands? What else could these creatures be except Bigfoot?
If ANYONE who is fairly well funded wants to get to the bottom of this
mystery, then just go to the Solomons and look around and ask questions.
It sounds to me like the islands are teeming with the phenomena - and all the natives are most probably aware of the situation. All too aware.
And just in case I am the only one that has heard this, please refer to
the link here - [Link]- and check it out for yourself.
You may not like the "drift" of the article site - all UFO-y and all; but,
I've seen this information addressed in Nexus Magazine and other sources years ago. Besides, where it is presented shouldn't matter, if there's truth in there.
I can't afford to go look for myself; but, I see more and more groups
spending a whole lot of time and money trying to find the these things here and there where they are extremely rare (or non-existent) and that spending, to me, quickly becomes wasting. Go where they are known to be actually colonized and get your evidence for heaven's sake. The natives will probably help you.
Oh, and then please let us know what's there...that is, if the militaries (U.S. and Australian) will allow you on the Island for that research in the first place.
I have so far recieved no response from any of these recipients - nor do I expect to.
The Gizmodo story that got me started told of Oxford University revealing that they are beginning a "search" for the answers to the Bigfoot mystery.
Seems they are suggesting that if anyone has any suspected evidence, they should bring it to the University for substantiation.
(BTW - I'm going deer hunting. I am in hopes that anyone with fresh venison should bring it to me so I can put it in my freezer.)
Someone knows much more than we're privy to and they intend to keep it that way. But, then, that just may be me and my conspiratorial mind acting out again.