Commentary/Opinions

With October fast approaching the “Bigfoot World” is wondering what the Sykes study will show. Unlike the Ketchum DNA Study, Dr. Sykes has not been betrayed by close personal friends or colleges involved in his study, so except for a few rumors we have no “leaks”. There also seems to be no big interest in any of Dr. Sykes personal beliefs, financial dealings, past indiscretions, or delays in publishing results when promised. It appears the media and blogs that report on Bigfoot are willing to be patient and just wait for the results. I find the disparity in the treatment of Dr. Sykes verses Dr. Ketchum to be reprehensible and hypocritical. In a business that is all about clicks to generate revenue it appears politics and agendas are overriding the all mighty dollar, so in a nut shell Dr. Sykes is “getting a pass”.

While the media and blogs patiently await Dr. Sykes findings I was contemplating what the results of his DNA Study might be. I came up with three possible results:

·        All the samples were from a known animal (Bear, Horse, Wolf, Dog, etc.)

·        A new species of “Bipedal Ape”

·        The results will be similar to and support the findings in the Ketchum DNA Study

The first two results from above are the most palatable to Dr. Ketchum’s critics and the mainstream scientific world. 

If all the samples tested came back from “known animals” then the mystery still remains and those who profit and make their lively hood on Bigfoot will continue to do so. Having “scientific proof” Bigfoot exist would make much of the “Bigfoot Industry” obsolete just as the Model T put the Buggy Whip Industry out of business in the early 1900’s. .

If Dr. Sykes reports he has DNA from an unknown Bipedal Ape then this will be a “win/win” for both the mainstream science community and the Meldrum/Moneymaker crowd. The old saying “kill two birds with one stone” would apply. This would “discredit” the Ketchum DNA Study, satisfy mainstream science who has hinted it would accept an “undiscovered Bipedal Ape”, and solidify the Meldrums and the Moneymakers of the “Bigfoot World” as experts. In my opinion this is the outcome the majority of the Bigfoot world is hoping for.

If Dr. Sykes produces results that are similar to and/or supports the Ketchum DNA Study then the “Bigfoot World” and the scientific world for that matter would be turned on its collective heads. All the critics, detractors, bloggers, main stream science, etc. will have nasty, rotten, smelly EGG ON THEIR FACE! This would be a disaster that many would not recover from. Reputations would be ruined, lively hoods would be damaged, bloggers embarrassed pundits discredited and worst of all for the before mentioned, Dr. Ketchum and her team would be vindicated. In my opinion this is the least desired and the most feared outcome for the majority of the “Bigfoot World”. 

Now for the “Dirty Little Secret”, in my opinion Dr. Sykes has known of the existence of Bigfoot/Yeti since 2001. He has had the “proof” via DNA since 2001 and he has kept his mouth shut and sat on this information since 2001. Why do I think this? Because back in 2001 both in a London Times article and later in a National Geographic Special Dr. Sykes admitted the following:

“We found some DNA in it, but we don’t know what it is. It’s not a human, not a bear nor anything else we have so far been able to identify. It’s a mystery and I never thought this would end in a mystery. We have never encountered DNA that we couldn’t recognize before.”

This statement is extremely similar to statements made by Dr. Ketchum and later backed up the Ketchum DNA Study. See the below video for the National Geographic special that documented the collection of the hair samples and presented an interview with Dr. Sykes commenting on odd results.

 

 Sykes said the following in the special:

 “Because we were half expecting a bear, because of the analysis of the skin sample…..we asked the reaction to look specifically for bear DNA. But there was not any there. It’s certainly mysterious, it’s certainly mysterious…there was a nice plump follicle there; normally we would have no difficulty at all. It had all the hallmarks of good material.” The National Geographic narrator followed with the following statement:  “The DNA sample was tested against human, bear, and primate DNA but so far Professor Sykes can’t match it from any known species.”

The above is staggering because Dr. Ketchum had the EXACT SAME RESULTS nine years later. Here is the excerpt from the Ketchum DNA Study aka Novel North American Hominins, Next Generation Sequencing of Three Whole Genomes and Associated Studies.

Screening of the Hominin DNA Samples

Since the amount of hair available in the samples was finite, we opted to begin this project by screening tissue samples that had larger quantities of DNA. Universal mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b primers for species determination as well as universal mammalian primers designed for species identification in the hypervariable region 1 were utilized21-28. All 111 screened samples revealed 100% human cytochrome b and hypervariable region 1 sequences with no heteroplasmic bases that would indicate contamination or a mixture. These samples were then sent out to another laboratory for mitochondrial whole genome sequencing.

The hominin samples were also amplified using Promega PowerPlex® 16, a nuclear STR DNA multiplex platform that is specific for humans and higher primates. The submitters and the blank extraction controls were amplified to determine the presence of non-human DNA and to obtain a profile to compare with hominin DNA samples. PowerPlex® 16 amplification of the hominin samples yielded only partial profiles with off-ladder alleles while amplification of DNA from the submitters yielded complete profiles and the control blank indicated no amplification (Figure 9).

The preliminary screening, therefore, established that Sasquatch samples were not contaminated with submitters DNA and that Sasquatch samples comprised some human mitochondrial DNA but with nuclear DNA anomalies. Once it was established that the Sasquatch nuclear DNA did not conform to human DNA, the remaining samples were extracted.

To summarize the above excerpt Dr. Ketchum used human/mammal primers (Universal mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b primers for species determination as well as universal mammalian primers designed for species identification in the hypervariable region 1 were utilized21-28) and was unable to get the DNA to amplify. This means the DNA was NOT HUMAN OR ANY KNOWN MAMMAL.

I think Dr. Sykes had the “smoking gun” of Bigfoot DNA. He had an isolated sample he could not identify, he had the DNA profile of a Yeti aka Bigfoot in 2001. Since this was a taboo subject I think he just sat on this information. When the Ketchum Study surfaced with the hundreds of samples Dr. Sykes had his opportunity to steal the show. In my opinion that is what he is doing, “stealing the show”. Now that Dr. Ketchum has taken the slings and arrows the way is clear for him to request samples and publish his results. 

Based on what Dr. Sykes has said previously and the rumors floating around that the DNA results support the existence of Bigfoot I think his findings will support the Ketchum DNA Study. Will Dr. Sykes have the integrity and the courage to publish his findings if this is true? There is an enormous amount of pressure both public and behind the scenes for the results to be “Bipedal Ape” or “Inconclusive”. 

We will all know soon when the Sykes results are made public in October, if they are made public. Remember Dr. Sykes has not met his own published time line for publishing the paper so I should say I HOPE the results are made public.

 The Bigfoot - What Is It Really??? You not going to like my answer......

I have been researching Bigfoot for four years. I have had two encounters where I made direct eye contact with a Bigfoot during this time.  I participated in the Ketchum/NABS DNA Study and submitted over thirty hair samples to the study. Eleven of the samples were confirmed to be from a Bigfoot. I have captured video of the Bigfoot both from trail cameras and hand held video cameras. I have heard and recorded Bigfoot vocalizations. I have communicated with the Bigfoot via rocks and stick formations. I have had Bigfoots come to my place of residence and take food, leave footprints, and three of the hair samples that were confirmed Bigfoot actually came from my residence. I have had the privilege of sharing information with some of the top researchers of the Bigfoot world. I have been privy to confidential information about the Bigfoot and its behavior that has never been made public. I am not an “expert”. In my opinion if you’re an expert that means you have learned all there is to know about a subject. In Bigfoot research the more you learn, the more you realize how little you actually know.

I give you my “credentials” in order to qualify the statements I am about to make. In the past I have blogged about what I think the Bigfoot is. This opinion has been changing and evolving as I learn more and my research has matured. Based on my personal experience, the results of the DNA Study, and input from other researchers I have come to the following conclusions:

• The biological entity that we call a Bigfoot/Sasquatch is a human hybrid. The DNA shows that the mother of the species is human and the father is of unknown origin. The nuclear DNA (which comes from the father) from three complete Bigfoot/Sasquatch genomes was compared against the Genbank Database. This database currently contains over 150 billion nucleotide bases in more than 162 million sequences. There was NO match for the nuclear DNA sequences.

• A majority of the Bigfoot/Sasquatch have an intelligence level equal to or greater than humans.

• The Bigfoot/Sasquatch are aware of our technologies and what their purposes are to include video cameras, trail cameras, digital voice recorders, vehicles, fire arms, etc. 

• The Bigfoot/Sasquatch know our culture, our habits, and our history.

• The Bigfoot/Sasquatch are not the “benevolent keepers of the forest”.

• The Bigfoot/Sasqutach have abilities that we do not fully understand or comprehend. These abilities include: The use of infrasound to confuse, disorient, cause memory loss, or incapacitate. The ability to “cloak” or become invisible to the naked eye. I am convinced they use infrasound to achieve this “cloak” but I am open to the possibilities of some other explanation. I think that these abilities are genetic and passed down to the offspring. This explains why some Bigfoot/Sasquatch exhibit these abilities and others do not. I think the diluting of the genome by interbreeding with humans is the major cause of the loss of these abilities.

• There are types or races of Bigfoot/Sasquatch. Their appearance and behavior vary depending on the geographic region of the country in which they are located.

• The Bigfoot/Sasquatch live in a family group structure. This family group usually consists of a male, female, and offspring.

• The Bigfoot/Sasquatch family groups live in a “home” range that may encompass up to 100 miles. These family groups form clans. The clans provide mates for the offspring of the family groups and help prevent inbreeding. These clans also enforce the social structure for the family groups.

• The Bigfoot /Sasquatch live a “subsistence existence” on the fringe of human civilization. They have formed a symbiotic relationship with humans observing our activities and scavenging food and other resources when advantageous.

• The Bigfoot/Sasquatch are reclusive and avoid direct human contact at almost any cost. They are “hyper-elusive” which borderlines on fanaticism. The question that remains unanswered is why they live this way. Is it by choice or by force? The evidence is mounting that both the subsistence existence and reclusiveness may not be by choice but coerced. The question then becomes who is enforcing this lifestyle on the Bigfoot/Sasquatch and why?

• The Bigfoot/Sasquatch are each unique individuals. They each have a personality and a demeanor. They exhibit behaviors that suggest that their culture contains individuals that are benevolent, violent, and homicidal.  Each Bigfoot has its own set of “morals” and exercises them according its own desires.

• The Bigfoot/Sasquatch abduct humans for a variety of reasons. The reasons are varied and may include the following: replacement of a lost infant, breeding mate, curiosity, ritual rite of passage, and unfortunately cannibalism.

• The Bigfoot/Sasquatch population numbers in the tens of thousands and may go as high as the hundreds of thousands.

I know many will disagree with some of my conclusions and I welcome the discussion and debate. We still have much to learn about this biped known as Bigfoot. To be honest we know very little about them.

 In summation I have a healthy respect for the Bigfoot’s abilities. I do not trust the Bigfoot completely and I am still unsure of the motives behind most if not all of its behaviors. Many times the behavior of the Bigfoot mimics that of someone in a prison camp. They cannot communicate with us directly so they use stones, sticks, and other forms of communication that their “over seers” will not recognize.  I have read many accounts of how the POW’s in Vietnam had to communicate with each other while under the watchful eye of the prison guards. I see amazing similarities in the way the Bigfoot attempt to communicate with me and other researchers. If this is true then who are the “guards” and why are the Bigfoot under such tight surveillance?

 With Bigfoot research one answer begets 10 more unanswered questions and I somehow doubt we will ever have them all even with a “body”.

 Bigfoot = Good  Dogman and Other Cryptids = BAD!!

I have learned the hard way that with some people Bigfoot is ok and accepted but any other cryptid that is out there is “taboo”. It is ok to see it, get high definition video of it, but just keep it to yourself, “we don’t want to know about it.” Even worse some are now questioning my sanity and mental state because I am talking about the Dogman, cloaking, and other unexplainable experiences I have had in the woods. 

I find it ironic that when I venture out of the “norm” for Bigfoot research I become one of “Them”, the “loons” with “crazy theories”. I am “reaching” and my “imagination” is getting the best of me. “Just stick to Bigfoot, and leave all this other crazy stuff alone”, is a common theme.

The problem is I am experiencing these “odd” cryptids. I AM NOT LOOKING FOR THEM! They have found me. I am out in the woods doing Bigfoot research and these cryptids are just showing up. I cannot just ignore a six foot dog like creature staring at me from only 30 feet away. I did not imagine it, I experienced it! I also have it on video along with claw marks in the trees and foot prints on the ground. 

How can I ignore the video of one of these strange creatures standing

just feet behind me? Some want to deny what is on the footage I have posted, but every reasonable person I have shown the video to has admitted there is a creature there, they can see it, and it makes them extremely uncomfortable. The most common description I get is “that footage weirded me out!”

When I first befriended Dave Paulides and we started working together he told me something that would prove prophetic. David had talked with Ray Crowe the author of the long running newsletter “The Track Record”. (NABS now owns the complete archive of The Track Record”. ) Ray told Dave, “the longer you research Bigfoot the stranger, weirder, and unexplainable it will get”.  Four years into researching Bigfoot I can tell you this is a very true statement.

The problem is, what do I do with the videos, evidence, and experiences? One of the founding tenants of my research was to be open, transparent, to post videos, and present my experiences un-censored and un-cut. In doing so some YouTube viewers and Blog readers have taken issue with the experiences that do not relate to Bigfoot. 

I find it interesting that while I am accused of “being way out there” or “off the reservation” others who have had similar experiences are taken seriously and considered legitimate. The bestselling book “Hunt for The Skin Walker” by Colm A. Kelleher PhD and George Knapp is a prime example. Everything I have experienced is documented in this book yet Knapp and Kelleher are deemed respectable and believable while I am labeled a “kook” and “on the fringe”. I would also like to point out that the group NIDS (National Institute for Discovery Science) is the group featured in the book and the group was founded and funded by Robert Bigelow. Bigelow is a hotel and aerospace entrepreneur. He owns the hotel chain Budget Suites of America and is the founder of Bigelow Aerospace. He is definitely not considered as being “mentally unstable” or a “fringe kook”. 

The book even had a Dogman account. On page 48 of the book there is an account of Ute tribal police officers driving by the dirt road that leads to the “Skin Walker Ranch”. The officers saw “two persons standing by the side of the road in long, dark coats smoking cigarettes and they had dog faces.” The startled police officers backed up to get another look but the “persons” were gone. They had disappeared into thin air leaving two smoldering cigarette butts on the ground.

So if you’re  a millionaire, celebrated TV journalist/author, or have a “PHD” after you name then its ok to experience strange cryptids and phenomena and write about it, but if you an average “Joe” (pun intended) like me then it’s a huge “no no”.  It is obvious to me that a double standard is in place concerning cryptids.

 I would also like to point out that NIDS deployed state of the art electronics during their investigations to include HD video, FLIR, Spectrometers, etc. Though much data was collected to my knowledge no viable video or still image has ever been made public by the NIDS team.  On the other hand with a $200.00 video camera, thread, sticks, and some common sense I have been able to capture and make public HD video of cryptid creatures. Am I bragging? A little, but my point is obvious, I am marginalized, criticized, and ignored because I am an amateur, a mere “layman”. 

If you are one of those who are uncomfortable with me posting images of cyprtids other than Bigfoot or you are convinced I have “lost my mind” do not be alarmed. I am perfectly normal, sane, and emotionally well adjusted.  I am also in good company with some of the leading scientist in the crytpid field.   What you may find disturbing is I do not plan on stopping. If I capture a cryptid on video I will post it. I think it would be irresponsible not to inform people what is really out there regardless of how uncomfortable that reality makes us feel.

Bigfoot Is REAL, Dr Ketchum has 3 complete indisputable genomes, and the "main stream" scientist know it! That is why they must destroy her anyway they can...

I was reading the comments to a blog post about the Q30 scores from the next generation Illumina platform on the 3 Bigfoot genomes when the light came on! Dr. Ketchum has the goods, she has solid, repeatable, undeniable, independently verifiable proof that Bigfoot is a real, living, breathing, entity and those main stream scientist "in the know" are painfully aware of this and extremely afraid of it! This is why Dr. Ketchum did the things she did in the last year. I am not saying a I agree with everything she did, but I now understand it.

First let me explain the "Q30" scores that just zoomed over our collective heads. This is the key, this is why the critics are afraid, VERY afraid. Dr. Ketchum extracted and purified three samples (26, 31 and 140) with large amounts of high quality DNA. (Note that sample 26 came from the alleged killing of two Bigfoot by Justin Smeja aka "The Sierra Kills"). She then sent these samples off to the University of Texas, Southwestern laboratory for sequencing. The UT laboratory used a widely accepted and proven process known as "the next generation Illumina platform". The machine that processes the samples is known as a HiSeq 2000 next generation sequencer. Here is an excerpt from the DNA study that explains what a "Q30" score is and what it means.

"the HiSeq 2000 next generation sequencer provides scores, Q30, for run quality​78​. Q30 can also be used to determine if there was any contamination (or mixture) found in the samples sequenced.  According to Illumina, a pure, single source sample would have an Q30 score of 80 or greater with an average of 85. However, if there was contamination present in the sample sequenced, the divergent sequences would compete against one another prior to sequencing causing a contaminated sample to have a Q30 score of 40 to 50.   The Q30 scores for the three genomes sequenced had Q30 scores of 88.6, 88.4 and 88.7 respectively for samples 26, 31 and 140.  The Q30 is the percent of the reads that have the statistical probability greater than 1:1000 of being correctly sequenced. Therefore, not only were the sequences from a single source, but the quality of the sequences were far above the average genome sequenced using the Illumina next generation sequencing platform. The high quality of the genomes can be attributed to the stringent extraction procedures utilized whereby the DNA was repeatedly purified.   This ultra-purified DNA also allowed for greater than 30X coverage of the three genomes.  The summary and of the next generation sequencing generated by the HiSeq 2000 Illumina sequencer is furnished as Supplementary Data 7-10."

The "Q30" is a score that tells us how pure DNA is. The manufacture states that anything at or above a score of 80 is pure and NOT contaminated! Again let me repeat the scores were 88.6, 88.4, and 88.7 respectively.

 In other words the DNA is:
1. NOT Contaminated
2. All from 3 individuals (Bigfoot) not a mixture or contaminated
3. The results are repeatable
4. The SAME results were returned on 3 different samples from 3 different individuals, collected from 3 different locations, and at 3 different times.
5. The lab that ran the data is well respected, accredited, and independent
6. The results are rock solid and indisputable

Now imagine you are Dr. Ketchum, you know what you have, indisputable scientific proof Bigfoot exist. A major journal (Nature) has delayed you repeatedly with frivolous request and leaked your results to others (Sykes). You know mainstream science is trying to make an end run on you via the Sykes study. Sykes has the political power and financial backing to publish quickly. The collective scientific community has done everything they can to keep you from publishing your findings.

Also remember that Wally Hersom and Adrian Erickson have funded the study to the tune of over $300,000! Your professional reputation is ruined, and you just spent 5 years of your life on this project. You have the DNA, you have the solid proof and GenBank will not allow you to upload your sequences leaving the door open for Sykes or another scientist to zoom in and get the credit!  Armed with this knowledge and these circumstances what do you do?

Would you tell Justin Smeja to contaminate his remaining samples so no one else like Sykes could use his political connections and power to beat you and claim discovery for what you already have? Would you have preemptive press releases before your study is published? Would you purchase a journal that has passed your paper only to back out at the last moment due to political pressure in order to preserve the peer reviews and editorial independence? 

Though you may not agree with everything she has done, Dr. Ketchum had good reason. She was up against a "like minded" conspiracy. Main stream science knew then and know now what she has. They know it is rock solid and can not be refuted. Their only recourse was to destroy her personally in hopes of discrediting the results. They are AFRAID, afraid of the truth. What is this truth? A unknown, Veterinarian WOMAN from the SOUTH no less with the help of  common everyday people have made one of the greatest scientific discoveries of our generation. This is a fact,  a truth their belief system just can not tolerate. The religion of  Darwinism demands this can not be true and not be allowed to stand.

This is why GenBank cannot allow the Genomes to be uploaded. To allow this is an admission of the truth and they know it. The "well respected scientist" doing the independent review of the DNA Study are promising that they will make sure GenBank accepts the Genomes, I hope they can deliver.

I make a challenge to any one that has access to the BLAST application. Take the supplemental attachments in Dr. Ketchum's study that contain the raw DNA sequence data, convert those PDF files into the correct format and then compare the sequences to the GenBank database and see if there are any matches. We already know the data is good, it has been produced by the University of Texas. Have the courage to run the BLAST search and publish the results! Because you know they will show no match, that the species represented in the data is a NEW species, a NEW homo sapiens species  a BIGFOOT.....
Well, here we go again. The second round of attacks have begun. I knew it was only a matter of time. The results of the DNA study and the results of the genomes called into questions by Justin Smeja's claims and the alleged testing results brought forward by Bart Cutino. Again the full and complete genome destroy any claim that can be made that Sample 26 (The Smeja Sample)  was a hunk of bear flesh contaminated with human DNA.

Justin Smeja still maintains he cut a piece off of the flesh he had recovered from the shooting site and sent it to the Ketchum  DNA study. They also maintain that this was the same flesh that was later tested at Trent University with the results being "bear" with human contamination  according to DNA testing done by Trent University.

This is where the "rubber hits the road". The Smeja sample (aka Sample 26)  sent to the Ketchum DNA Study was determined NOT to be human or KNOWN animal (Bear)  by Douglas G. Toler, MD, F.C.A.P. of  Anatomic and Clinical Pathology Huguley Pathology Consultants, P.A. (Supplemental Data 1).

 Below is a excerpt from the Ketchum DNA Study concerning Smeja Sample (Sample 26).
 
A small sample of skin with underlying structures from Sample 26 was submitted to the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory at Texas A&M University for the purpose of evaluating the sample for degradation and structure. Subsequently, the slides generated from this examination were submitted to Huguley Pathology Consultants for further evaluation.  A detailed report of the histopathologic findings was generated from the second examination. The report confirmed the Texas A&M findings and revealed that there was little degradation observed and that the structures in the sample were visible and could be reviewed.  There was no pathology present in sample 26, however the histology was deemed inconsistent with human skin. Examination revealed lesser numbers of eccrine glands and even sebaceous gland/pilosebaceous gland units than normally seen in human skin.  Abnormalities such as abortive hair shafts and various alopecias were detected and hair follicle addition or extra follicles, clustered and deeper in the dermal region were noted. The clustering of follicles at a deeper level in the dermis than where most skin appendages usually occur was unusual and not generally associated with hair follicle loss as is seen with alopecia. (Figure 8, Supplementary Data 1)
 
Importantly, histological examination of the skin and tissue sample 26 confirmed that the cells were intact with few bacteria. The absence of contamination or degradation indicates that DNA extracted from this tissue was more than adequate for subsequent DNA sequencing.​​
​
After this determination the sample was sent to the University of Texas where a COMPLETE genome was sequenced from Sample 26. As I documented in a previous post the Q30 score of 88.6 (any score over 80 is considered pure and uncontaminated) proved the sample was not contaminated and from one individual.  This complete genome was then ran against the GenBank Database. A BLAST search takes the genome and compares it to the 300,000 known species stored in GenBank to find a match. There was NO MATCH for the Justin Smeja (Sample 26) sample. 

Justin Smeja claims Dr. Ketchum told him she could manipulate a sample "show anything I want". Then later in the same interview he claims she was going to tell him how to  change the samples DNA composition! According to Smeja here is Dr. Ketchum's formula for changing the structure of the DNA in a sample and making it "be something different than what it is". Here is the formula per Justin Smeja - "mixture of Clorox bleach, formaldehyde or something, some water, acidiat (sic)". So according to Justin Smeja Dr. Ketchum told him that by using this concoction she could change the structure of the DNA and fool both scientific colleagues and  institutions including, UCLA, Texas A&M, and the University of Texas? HOG WASH!!! I think Dr. Toler would have noticed the sample had been manipulated and that the HiSeq 2000 next generation sequencer would have returned a result that was invalid and contaminated.

Again, Justin Smeja's Sample 26 yielded a complete pure genome that had no match in the GenBank database that contains 300,000 known species that exist on this earth. If Dr. Ketchum could manipulate the DNA structure of an ENTIRE GENOME (3 billion base pairs) to fool the University of Texas and the equipment used,  not on 1 but 3 samples, then the criminal justice system is a farce, DNA testing is useless and we need to let anyone out of jail that has ever been convicted using DNA evidence.

I think it more likely for what ever reason Justin Smeja gave Dr. Ketchum a different sample than was tested by Trent University Lab or since Trent University only swabbed the external surface of the "flesh" their testing was not accurate and contaminated.

Either way the Q30 results are the key. I think I will rely on the results from trusted academic institutions, scientist, and the scientific processes that can not be manipulated. I will disregard the nefarious story of Justin Smeja.

 Bryan Sykes - Where is the Promised Bigfoot DNA

In the Spring of last year celebrated Geneticist Bryan Sykes announced that he would be taking on this monster we know as Bigfoot DNA. With a loud chorus the critics of Dr. Ketchum's Bigfoot DNA study celebrated this event. Now we would get results from a "real Genetics Expert" they said.


 Sykes announced a very bold schedule for publishing a peer reviewed paper in less than a year!   Even more ammunition for the critics of Dr. Ketchum since she has been struggling to get American Journals to review her study for a couple years.

Below is the timetable from the Wolson College Webite:

Timetable
The project is divided into three phases.

SAMPLE SUBMISSION PHASE        May – September 2012
DNA ANALYSIS PHASE            September – November 2012
PUBLICATION PHASE            November – December 2012

 Well it is now the middle of January 2013 and amazingly NO PUBLISHED PAPER from Mr. Sykes! Where are the critics? Where are the attacks? Where are the conspiracy theorist? Where are the leaks from Robert Lindsey? Where are the post from Bigfoot Evidence harshly critical of Mr. Sykes? Why aren't other scientist calling in to question Mr. Sykes credibility as a scientist? Where are the reports of Mr. Sykes past and any and all his business dealings? What no juicy rumors about his personal life, how can this be? 

I find it predictable and hypocritical that the same people and organizations that have harshly criticized and savagely attacked  Dr. Ketchum are silent about the lack of progress from Mr. Sykes.

Now Sykes is claiming that publication is a slow process. The following quote is attributed to Mr. Sykes:

"Publication is a slow process, especially in prominent journals, so I wouldn't hold your breath. Journals normally embargo articles until the pub date."

Source: Bigfoot Evidence - December 7th 2012.


What!?!? When Dr. Ketchum said basically the same thing the response was harsh personal  attacks on her and her credibility, but Sykes makes the same assertion and SILENCE is all you hear from the "Bigfoot World" and the critics. (Insert crickets chirping here it is so quiet).


The double standard playing out before our eyes is dumbfounding! The hypocrisy robs any of Dr. Ketchum's critics of ANY credibility. (They never had any credibility with me to begin with)

I think the old saying "The pot calling the kettle black" applies to this situation and to be honest I have little faith that Mr. Sykes will ever publish a Bigfoot DNA Paper, I will believe it when I see it.

The "Loss of Innocence" - Advice to Aspiring Bigfoot Researchers

I used to love the outdoors. I would go out alone and wander around in the forest, exploring new places, the further off the beaten path the better. I would go into the National Park and select a drainage and just go, walk in for a couple hours then turn around and walk back out. I preferred to hunt deer alone, finding spots so deep in the thickets that no one else would even dream of going back into these places. Every now and then I would get the feeling I was being watched, but I would shrug the feeling off and go back to enjoying my day.

The actual location of the encounter

Those days are no more; the wilderness has lost its wonder. It is no longer a place of peace and serenity. It all changed for me on a sunny June day in 2009 while fishing. I was casting a point of land that was part of a public recreation area. I made some silly sounding “whooping” calls why I do even know.  I was just messing around imitating what I had watched in a YouTube video. Then the most amazing thing happen, something came tearing down through the woods. It was breaking limbs and crashing around in the thick underbrush. My jaw dropped and I was in shock as I stared at the shoreline. It stayed back in the shadows and I could only catch glimpses of sunlight on it from time to time. It acted like it was looking for something. It would go up the bank to the right and then the left. While all this was going on I was fumbling with the trolling motor trying to put some distance between it and me. After a couple minutes I heard a very clear “humph” three or four times. Then I heard it walk back into the woods slowly until it was out of range. It took me several minutes to compose myself as I sat down in the bottom of my fishing boat.

This event would change everything. I had to find out what had made this noise. Even though I had a sighting when I was a child, this event was the catalyst; this event started me on this journey, this “quest for the truth”.

Over the past three years I have seen and experienced things that are unbelievable. The average person has no idea what is going on in the wilderness. I can no longer go into the woods in a state of “ignorant bliss” and just enjoy it. I know what is out there, I know what is watching and lurking in the shadows.

I do still enjoy being out but it is different now. It is hard to explain to those who have never experienced it, but the Bigfoot “know that you know” and this changes everything. I have a difficult time deer hunting because of interference from the Bigfoot. I go on family outings in the National Park with relatives that have no clue about Bigfoot or that I research and we will hear “strange sounds” or encounter “odd smells”.

 I can not explain this but some people are what I called “marked” by the Bigfoot. No matter where you go, if there are Bigfoot in the area they will find you and make themselves known to you. On average it takes a couple days in an area for the “locals” to find you. Then all the “odd” stuff begins to happen.

My “loss of innocence” is compounded when you throw in the other crytpids that have shown up. I had only heard rumors about the “Dogman” until I captured it on video and then later made direct eye contact with one. I was not looking for them and definitely did not want to see one.  It is a shock to the system when you begin to realize what you have been taught all your life is wrong and that your “reality” is not the truth. You have heard the old saying, “be careful what you wish for, you just might get it”. Well I found out how true this statement is. To be honest I am still adjusting to this “new reality”. Gone are the days when the woods were a place of solitude, peace, and wonder. It is now a place where the “Monsters” live and they do not respect your “reality”.

I get several request from people all the time “where can I go to see a Bigfoot”, “what can I do to have an encounter”, and “I want to know the truth about them”. My first piece of advise would be are you sure that is what you really want? The “truth” is a very sharp double-edged sword and is no respecter of persons or your belief system.

I have been bursting many bubbles lately when I talk to people. My advice now comes with stern warnings about being cautious, going armed, never going in the woods alone, do not take your children with you, if you’re a woman be extra careful. I can hear the disbelief in the voices of those hearing this for the first time. Those who think like I once did; the “benevolent keeper of the forest” is not always so benevolent and he is not the only cryptid out there.

So this is my advice or better my warning to those who want to “research Bigfoot” or “find the truth”, find another hobby, this is not what you think it is. If you still insist then be ready for a shock to your belief system, be ready to throw out everything you think you know. When you think it can’t get any “weirder” it will and there are very few people who you can tell or talk about this with. You will be called a crackpot, crazy, insane, out of touch with reality, idiot, and these are just the ones I can repeat. You will experience things you can not record on film or produce “evidence” of, you will be frustrated constantly by camera malfunctions, blobsquatches, and noises you plainly heard but your equipment did not pick up.

 There are also the unintended consequences of research, home visitations. Yes in many cases they will follow you home, do not ask how or why I just know they do. Then your friends and family will really thing you are a lunatic.

Finally I have one more warning to give you, with knowing the truth comes responsibility.   What do you tell the woman that calls you who is all excited about researching Bigfoot and loves to go out into the woods all by herself? When you see that a child has gone missing in a wildness area you will wonder. When phone calls come from scared people who have a Bigfoot habitation around their home what do you tell them? When you talk to a person that has just had an encounter and they called you because you’re the “local researcher” what do you tell them? What are you going to say to calm their nerves? How are you going to reassure them that it is ok, they are not crazy, what they saw is real.

Some who research seek anonymity to avoid the above but it will be difficult if you choose to go this route, you will be faced with choices to speak out or be silent and there are consequences to both decisions.

So in closing my final word to you is take up golf or fishing it is safer and less stressful, but if you insist on perusing "Bigfoot Research" be prepared for your “loss of innocence”.

 To Post Or Not To Post, That is the Question

Many researchers struggle with what to post and when. I think almost every researcher has that “special” footage that we are holding onto for just the right moment. For many of us that “right moment” is when the DNA study is finally published. When we can take advantage of the event and “ride the wave”.

This is also the cause of great frustration in the “Bigfoot Community”. We hear rumors of “clear, mind blowing” footage, announcements are made, interviews given, promises made, but in the end it always leads to nothing. Blog posts are pulled, footage is removed, and the organization or person that was thumping their chest goes silent. It always comes back to “we are waiting of the DNA study to be released”.

Let’s be honest with each other it is all about the money. That is not a bad thing; it is just the cold hard truth. I can understand this being a researcher myself. I receive no outside funding. All my expenses come out of my pocket and this “hobby” can get expensive fast! If I could recoup some of my expenses that would be great, but to be honest I am not holding my breath. But the question becomes “is there money in Bigfoot”?

A well-known and respected Bigfoot researcher/author once told me “there is no money in Bigfoot, the community is just not large enough”. So there is our dilemma. We are all holding onto our “money shots” when there is no money to be had. We are hoping and many are betting thousands if not hundreds of thousands that when the DNA results are published the public in general will become interested. When this happens we will all post our “money shot” videos, publish our books, sell our DVD’s, and make our TV specials. We will all make out like bandits and walk away with “bags full of money”.

I am afraid in the end only a few will profit and most will be left holding the bag. I suspect that across the country there are “regular” people who have captured video on vacation or even had a long term habitation, and these people will come forward and “flood the market” with videos and claims to the point that what we would consider the “money shots” will be completely worthless.

 I do not think we as the “Bigfoot Community” realize what is out there in the public’s hands. Afraid of ridicule, loosing jobs, and a ruined reputation many have just put the videos away, quietly sit on their back deck and feed them, or keep found remains hidden in a freezer. When Bigfoot becomes “main stream” then I think these people will come forward and the “flood gates” will be opened.

Now that I have busted our collective “money bubble” the question still remains, to post or not to post? I do not have that answer. I struggle with this question repeatedly because I have some footage I am holding onto. I am holding onto the footage for the same reasons other researchers are, I am hoping that in the end I can make some money on it, plain and simple.

Money is not the reason I became a researcher three years ago, and money is definitely not why I keep doing it. I do this because I saw and experienced something I cannot explain. I have a desire to answer the questions, what is it or better who is it, where did it come from, how does it live, why does it do the things it does, and to be able to stand in front of it one day and say “Hello, I am Scott, nice to finally meet you”.  These things may never happen, but for me that is the “why”, that is what draws me to this, keeps me going out there.

I do not think wanting to make money off of this endeavor we call Bigfoot Research makes anyone a “bad person”, we all have financial obligations but I think we as “Bigfoot Community” need a collective wake up call and realize what my author friend told me, “there is no money in Bigfoot”. 

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