# Science solves Yeti? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 29, 2017, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064 "2017-11-29T16:16:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/21 "2017-11-30T15:57:07Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Bear would not surprise me. Don’t be so sure, bear pretty sneaky. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/22 "2017-11-30T16:49:55Z")
The linked CNN story contains this clunker: _“A team of scientists ran DNA tests on bits and pieces of “Yeti” samples kept in treasured collections around the world and found that the pieces came from more mundane — but equally rare — creatures.”_ The endangered species the hair/tissue samples actually belonged to are indeed “rare”, but “rare” is not equivalent to “nonexistent”, which describes the Yeti. > [@DrDeth](#): > > "The native myth is of a ape or bear like animal, so certainly “yeti” could be a bear. And it could be your aunt Agnes on a bad hair day. No one has disproved this conjecture, so it’s as valid as any other. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/23 "2017-11-30T16:51:06Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I was a young kid when that movie came out. Scared the crap outta me. I know the movie is campy, and stupid. The real story is a local legend, and many people have had incidents. Not me, thank god, I would probably just drop dead. (Underlining mine) Wait, are you claiming that the boggy creek monster is real? Can you provide a link to some of these incidents? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/24 "2017-11-30T17:09:17Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Bear would not surprise me. But I still do suspect we have unknown primates out there as well. Probably not 7’ tall ones but … > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Don’t be so sure, bear pretty sneaky. Bears will not replace us! (Yetis might, but not bears). Yeah, I agree that this article is a big nothing burger. Especially since the second article, from a few years ago, has been out in the public sphere for awhile. It’s unlikely that that even is one, exclusive explanation for the Yeti myth and the various Yeti “sightings”. Yetis are about as real as Shiksappeal. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/25 "2017-11-30T17:33:44Z")
What I want to know is, do Yetis bounce? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/26 "2017-11-30T17:38:46Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > What I want to know is, do Yetis bounce? Yeti no, Bumbles yes. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/27 "2017-11-30T18:35:18Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > (Underlining mine) > > Wait, are you claiming that the boggy creek monster is real? Can you provide a link to some of these incidents? Not at all. I don’t believe. I am a confirmed skeptic. But, folks in these parts do believe. I cannot cite it. I am sure there are plenty of news stories about it. I am scared of it because as a young child I saw that crappy movie. I am also afraid of aliens and zombies. Doesn’t mean I think they are real. I know these are irrational fears. But what can you do? Immersion therapy is not possible ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/28 "2017-11-30T18:52:07Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Sooo… You believe in the Yeti but not Bigfoot? Hmmm, interesting. I beleive that the Yeti legend is based upon bears, yes, and so do reputable scientists. I even had a link. \* You \*dont beleive there are bears?😕:dubious: BTW, most Bigfoot lore is obviously hoaxes. But I am sure that occassionaly a bear sighting has been called a Bigfoot sighting. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/29 "2017-11-30T18:54:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Immersion therapy is not possible In place of immersion therapy, I recommend you watch the MST3K episode that features _Boggy Creek II: and the Legend Continues_. That’ll cure you. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/30 "2017-11-30T19:05:49Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > [2006](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7952466&postcount=11) > 2017 > How is finding an unknown 7 foot tall bear more likely than finding an unknown ape? > . Becuase sceintist have confirmed there are bears in the Himalayas, of that there is no doubt at all. Himalayan brown bear (\*Ursus arctos isabellinus). - It is a fact. [Himalayan brown bear - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayan_brown_bear) also Himalayan black bear (Ursus thibetanus laniger) Gobi bear,\* Ursus arctos gobiensis\* [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48198944#page/204/mode/1up](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48198944#page/204/mode/1up) There are also two species or subspeices known only from one specimen, such as the Tibetan blue bear _(Ursus arctos pruinos_us.) Thinking that there could be another unknown subpecies of bear is hardly Cryptozoology. > **[DNA analysis solves the ‘yeti’ mystery: They’re bears](https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-yeti-bears-dna-20171129-story.html)** > > The origins of the Himalayan yeti myth have been revealed at last — thanks to science. > **[Has the Yeti mystery been solved? New research finds 'Bigfoot' DNA](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/has-the-yeti-mystery-been-solved-new-research-finds-bigfoot-dna-matches-rare-polar-bear-8884811.html)** > > Discovery leads scientists to believe there could be a sub species of brown bear in the High Himalayas that has been mistaken for the mythical beast Oxford University genetics professor Bryan Sykes: \*“But we can speculate on what the possible explanation might be. It could mean there is a sub species of brown bear in the High Himalayas descended from the bear that was the ancestor of the polar bear…” \* So there is a\* Oxford professor\* saying that there could be a unknown subspecies. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/31 "2017-11-30T19:17:12Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > The linked CNN story contains this clunker: _“A team of scientists ran DNA tests on bits and pieces of “Yeti” samples kept in treasured collections around the world and found that the pieces came from more mundane — but equally rare — creatures.”_ > > The endangered species the hair/tissue samples actually belonged to are indeed “rare”, but “rare” is not equivalent to “nonexistent”, which describes the Yeti. > And it could be your aunt Agnes on a bad hair day. > > No one has disproved this conjecture, so it’s as valid as any other. I think you mean ‘Aunt Bunny’, Gus’s wife. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/32 "2017-11-30T19:27:48Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Bear would not surprise me. But I still do suspect we have unknown primates out there as well. Probably not 7’ tall ones but … > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Don’t be so sure, bear pretty sneaky. That’s right. They’re very good at disguising themselves. Remember _F Troop_? “Make right turn at big rock that look like bear, then make left turn at big bear that look like rock” ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/33 "2017-11-30T19:49:51Z")
Thanks Chronos. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/34 "2017-11-30T20:21:54Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I beleive that the Yeti legend is based upon bears, yes, and so do reputable scientists. I even had a link. > \* > You \*dont beleive there are bears?😕:dubious: > > BTW, most Bigfoot lore is obviously hoaxes. But I am sure that occassionaly a bear sighting has been called a Bigfoot sighting. Bigfoot “lore” long predates the hoaxes, and is quite likely to have been inspired by bears and/or vivid imaginations and/or the tricks that he light and mind can play on us. And the Oxford prof mentions a subspecies, as you say. Big whoop. New subspecies, even of well-know, large mammals, are found or designated all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/35 "2017-11-30T21:20:36Z")
Bottom line: is there conclusive proof? Not yeti. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/36 "2017-11-30T21:32:04Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Bigfoot “lore” long predates the hoaxes, and is quite likely to have been inspired by bears and/or vivid imaginations and/or the tricks that he light and mind can play on us. > > And the Oxford prof mentions a subspecies, as you say. Big whoop. New subspecies, even of well-know, large mammals, are found or designated all the time. Bigfoot hoaxes started in 1884, see the “Jacko hoax”. First newspaper mention of Bigfoot was in 1895, and was referring to a huge Grizzly. But yes, there were some rather dubious Native legends that could predate them, but it is hard to correlate those with the more modern descriptions of Bigfoot. Fine, don’t be impressed. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/37 "2017-11-30T21:38:14Z")
OK, so we already knew that there were bears there, and some scientists are saying yet again that there are bears there. So? What does this have to do with yetis? This is even worse than “Science was wrong about \_\_\_\_, and therefore science is wrong about \_\_\_\_ too”. This is “Science was right about \_\_\_\_, and therefore science is wrong about \_\_\_\_ too”. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/38 "2017-11-30T21:58:01Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, so we already knew that there were bears there, and some scientists are saying yet again that there are bears there. So? What does this have to do with yetis? > > This is even worse than “Science was wrong about \_\_\_\_, and therefore science is wrong about \_\_\_\_ too”. This is “Science was right about \_\_\_\_, and therefore science is wrong about \_\_\_\_ too”. So science was right about the Yeti remains being bears. I suppose one can hold out hope for there being some hominid or ape there also, but Occam’s razor shaves pretty close. I think it is nice to have a mystery solved. > **[DNA Says 'Yeti' Evidence Comes From Bears, But Will Believers Be Convinced?](https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/yeti-dna-study-footprints-himalayas-genetic-asiatic-bears)** > > One expert sees the value in maintaining a little mystery. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/39 "2017-11-30T22:03:05Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Bigfoot hoaxes started in 1884, see the “Jacko hoax”. First newspaper mention of Bigfoot was in 1895, and was referring to a huge Grizzly. But yes, there were some rather dubious Native legends that could predate them, but it is hard to correlate those with the more modern descriptions of Bigfoot. > > Fine, don’t be impressed. 😛 Sasquatch legend goes back to before us palefaces were even here. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064/40 "2017-11-30T22:30:43Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Sykes: \*“But we can speculate on what the possible explanation might be. It could mean there is a sub species of brown bear in the High Himalayas descended from the bear that was the ancestor of the polar bear…” > \* > > So there is a\* Oxford professor\* saying that there could be a unknown subspecies. Did you notice how poorly Sykes comes off in the second of your links in the OP? Essentially, the more recent study refutes his speculation about a previously unknown bear species giving rise to Yeti sightings, or that his samples matched a paleolithic polar bear. And Sykes’ claims have been a source of amusement elsewhere:\* [https://www.csicop.org/si/show/no\_reason\_to\_believe\_that\_sykess\_yeti-bear\_cryptid\_exists](https://www.csicop.org/si/show/no_reason_to_believe_that_sykess_yeti-bear_cryptid_exists) I am no more impressed by Sykes being _an Oxford professor_ than I am by William Thompson being _a CDC scientist_ when conjuring up a vaccine conspiracy, or by Kary Mullis being _a Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist_ when going on about alien abduction involving a glowing raccoon. \*the Skeptical Inquirer is a good source of articles about Yeti/Bigfoot mythology. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-solves-yeti/803064.md?page=3)