Showing posts with label Cryptids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cryptids. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
New Genetic Study PROVES Bigfoot is a Thing! [SPOILER ALERT: No it Doesn't.]
Just before we set out to record this weeks podcast Tara reminded me of a story that had made the rounds earlier in the week, about a genetic study which had supposedly produced definitive evidence of the existence of Bigfoot. What I didn't realize at the time of recording, was that the "study" in question was the same one that had been announced in November of last year, by Texas Vetrenarian and genetic researcher Melba Ketchum. Once I realized this was the case, I started to wonder why it was in the news again. Turns out, after months of struggling through the peer review process, the team's research paper was finally published on Feburary 14th, in the well known and highly respected "DeNovo Scientific Journal".
What's that? "I've never heard of the Denovo Scientific Journal." you say? Well, that's probably because - according to the Huffpo, anyway- it was first registered with godaddy.com (anonymously) on February 4th, 2013, for a period of one year, and currently contains only one published paper "The Bigfoot Genome Paper"; AKA, the "study" in question. Seems legit, right?
Aside from the dubious method of publication, which we'll get back to shortly, the problems with the study, the likely rational explanation, as well as why the paper was rejected for publication by legitimate scientific journals, seems pretty obvious. Best case scenario, the samples were contaminated. Which the group, of course, insists couldn't possibly be the case, since they were very careful to eliminate that possibility. Which I'd be willing to give them the befit of the doubt on, had the 1,100 samples used in the study not been collected, handled, and stored, by untrained individuals, from 34 different sites across North America [Yahoo News]. Which, again, one might be willing to forgive, if their claims weren't so definitive.
Melba Ketchum's statements from DNA Diagnostics Inc's Press release on their "Bigfoot Genome Paper"
“Our study has sequenced 20 whole mitochondrial genomes and utilized next generation sequencing to obtain 3 whole nuclear genomes from purported Sasquatch samples. The genome sequencing shows that Sasquatch mtDNA is identical to modern Homo sapiens, but Sasquatch nuDNA is a novel, unknown hominin related to Homo sapiens and other primate species. 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. ""Sasquatch nuclear DNA is incredibly novel and not at all what we had expected. While it has human nuclear DNA within its genome, there are also distinctly non-human, non-archaic hominin, and non-ape sequences. We describe it as a mosaic of human and novel non-human sequence. Further study is needed and is ongoing to better characterize and understand Sasquatch nuclear DNA.”
Mmmm-kay. Maybe it's just me. But, "mosaic of human and novel non-human sequence", sounds a lot like: Collection of unrelated genetic materials most likely originating from multiple sources, some of which we can't identify. But, okay. Is there anything else we should know?
“Genetically, the Sasquatch are a human hybrid with unambiguously modern human maternal ancestry. Government at all levels must recognize them as an indigenous people and immediately protect their human and Constitutional rights against those who would see in their physical and cultural differences a ‘license’ to hunt, trap, or kill them.”
O_o
Soooo.... Remind me again why you decided to self publish? I mean, the flaws in your study's methodology seem glaringly obvious, even to a dum-dum like me. And you did just say you wanted to give constitutional rights to a creature no one other than you has ever "confirmed" the existence of. But I have a feeling you suspect more devious intentions towards your work, are to blame.Melba Ketchum on her paper's rejection in mainstream journals (VIA Huffington Post):
"It has been a long and tedious battle to prove that Sasquatch exists... Trying to publish has taken almost two years. It seems mainstream science just can't seem to tolerate something controversial, especially from a group of primarily forensic scientists and not 'famous academians' aligned with large universities, even though most of our sequencing and analysis was performed at just such facilities."
Oh, THERE it is. It always comes down to this, doesn't it? What I've come to call "the X-files argument"; the assertion that the mean old dogmatic doctrine of the scientific establishment is holdin' ya down, cause they're all just too close minded to challenge accepted facts. In short, it's nonsense.
Even if the "scientific establishment" did choose to dogmatically resist or deliberately deny their findings, it wouldn't matter. Because, as the saying goes: the great thing about science is that it's true, weather you believe it or not. Which really means- objective truths, are objective truths, regardless of who discovers them. So If you've done your science correctly. If what you think you've found, really is what you say it is. Then proving it's true, is only a matter of someone else looking in the same place, and seeing the same thing. And sooner or later that WILL happen regardless of weather you, or anyone else for that matter, tells them where to look or not. But if what you've claimed to have discovered, truly is something that only you can manage to see. Then whatever it is you may think you've found, it isn't science. That's what that whole peer review process Melba's research couldn't get past, is all about.
-CAINE-
Sources: dnadiagnostics.com, Ben Radford: (Yahoo News)- (Discovery.com), The Huffington Post
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Florida's Gots Giant Squids!
Despite all those ads selling it as a tropical Paradise, Florida is really a magical land filled with giant, often slimy and or scaly creatures. We've got overgrown spiders and flying palmetto bugs ( giant roaches, and yes, THEY FLY!), alligators, snakes, lizards, giant poisonous toads, sharks, sea turtles, walking catfish ( its exactly what it sounds like ), bears, bats, giant birds, and raccoons, just to name a few. We've even a few predatory cats left around, though we've sadly managed to get rid of most of those with out insatiable hunger for golf courses, strip malls, retirement communities, theme-parks, and paid parking areas.Well now it would appear there is at least one new giant slimy thing to add to the list of confirmed south Florida residents, (not him, Trump's been here for years) GIANT SQUID!
Early last week a pair of local fishermen pulled one of the animals still twitching from the waters just off the shore of Port Salerno. They loaded the 24 foot long specimen into their boat, and brought it into shore, where they turned it over to the Florida museum of Natural History for study. Awesome.
As those of you who follow my twitter feed may already be aware, I really don't like it here. The weather sucks, the people are awful, and if you hate the beach, theme parks, and the sun like I do, there just isn't much for you here. But there are some things I do like about this place, and though I could certainly live without the flying roaches, the astonishing variety of strange, overgrown, and sometimes slimy non-humanoid creatures who also happen to live here, are pretty high up on the list.
Yes, I know I'm strange. Now stop staring at me and go do something else.
-CAINE-
Source: WPTV -There's some video coverage on the page but it's got an add I can't get rid of AND it ends before the report is actually over, so I decided it wasn't worth embedding.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
WPB Has a Muck Monster?!
I'm known for being... let's call it "outspoken", about my critical/freethinking view of the world. So when a friend or coworker hears something strange or irritatingly irrational they seem to enjoy bringing it to me. Largely I suspect because of my "spirited" reaction, which people seem to find entertaining.So earlier this week a coworker came to me and asked,
"Did you hear about the Muck Monster?"
I stopped for a moment,
"Muck Monster?" I said inquisitively. I'd never actually heard of this one, "What is this- Muck Monster of which you speak?" I asked.
He continued,
"Ya, in downtown West Palm, The mayor went on TV to talk about it and everything."
I was both intrigued and excited, I'd never heard of this so called Muck monster. But I suppose sometimes refusing to watch the news or read the newspaper can lead to missing out on something important, like the fact that there might be a Muck monster living in the neighboring city!
" I was unaware of any such Muck Monster", I said. " But I WILL be investigating further."
So it turns out, the first- and it seems the only "real" sighting- of the so called Muck Monster, occurred sometime around August of last year and even managed to make Letterman's top ten list. As for the sighting itself, it was described by the Palm Beach Post as, "a strange churning in the Lake Worth lagoon" but in reality, the event captured on the video is more of a mild ripple than a churning or even a disturbance.
As for the Muck Monster's most recent appearance, there wasn't one. It seems instead that the city of palm beach, in conjunction with the nonprofit Lagoon Keepers organization held a Muck Monster themed presentation at the lagoon earlier this month in order to promote the city's new pier. City Commissioner Bill Moss(the Mayor didn't appear to be present for the event either), who has taken the lead on the Muck Monster probe told reporters.
"I've been told it's nothing to be concerned about, but it is mating season, so don't have children lean over the boardwalk or put their hands or feet in the water." And,"The irony is that this is happening around the same time as Halloween and I hope that's not missed on the city,"
But tell me this, If the Muck Monster really is just a manatee as many seem to think, and if any suggestion that it may in fact be some sort of cryptid is really just a ploy to attract more tourists, would the creature have been featured on the History Channel's Monster Quest? On second thought, don't answer that...-CAINE-
Here's the local news cast from the original sighting, note the stunning quality of this clip, in particular the audio mix, another reason I see no need to watch this crap.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Cryptids: El chupacabra -The Goat Sucker-
Believed by many to be the end product of a series of government experiments designed to create alien-human hybrids, sightings of the creature began in 1995 in Puerto Rico following a a series of attacks on live stock. The animals which fell victim to these attacks, most typically goats and sheep, were all alleged to have been found with three unexplained puncture wounds in their chests and completely drained of blood, earning the creature it's moniker "El Chupacabra" or " The Goat sucker". There are however those who claim the first Chupacabra attack can actually be traced back to 1975 and a series of similar attacks in a small town called Moca. Though the Moca attacks were first attributed to a satanic cult, they later became known as the alleged work of the "Vampire of Moca" or "El Vampiro de Moca", as the attacks spread throughout the island. Others have attempted to push the Chupacabra's origin as far back as 1960, sighting the apparent use of the phrase ( to describe a creature that sucked the milk from goats rather than blood ) on an episode of the television show bonanza.As for a physical description of the creature, as always accounts vary. But it's typically described as being three to five feet tall, bipedal but with hind legs like a kangaroo, grey skinned with large round eyes, three clawed fingers on either hand, and possessing at least a single row of spikes running down it's back. In recent years however, the creature being recognized as the Chupracabras has undergone a significant transformation.
Hairless canines like this one have been found in parts of Texas and Mexico where sightings of the Chupacabra have previously been reported, prompting many to identify them as the source of the legend. While it's tempting to note the similarities between the physical appearance of these animals and the eye witness descriptions of Chupacabra in an effort to declare misidentification as the source of the sightings. It's important to remember that these animals are being found in Texas and northern Mexico, not Puerto Rico where the legend of El Chupacabra began. So the true origin of the creature must lie in something else. But What?After doing a bit of research for his own upcoming book on the subject and taking a trip to Puerto Rico to interview Madelyne Tolentino, who's description of the creature is typically recognized as the first. Ben Radford has found what he believes to be El Chupacabra's true origin.
In 1995 Madelyne Tolentino, was able to give a detailed sketch and description of a strange animal she said she saw through a window just outside her home in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico. It was Madelyne's description of that animal which would become the archetype for the Chupacabra and the most widely accepted origin of the creature. Well, according to Radford's findings, it seems the creature Tolentino described bears a striking resemblance to the creature in the movie "Species", which was released in July of 1995 a month before Madelyne's alleged sighting. While Ben himself suggests only that Tolentino's description of the creature is derived from the movie, I find it worth mentioning that the movie also just happens to be about the escape of a human/alien hybrid created by the Government AND it takes place in Puerto Rico. Sound familiar?
In an interview about her encounter conducted in 1996, Madelyne admits to having seen the film and even remarks about how much the creature in the movie looked like the one she saw outside her home saying,
"I watched the movie and wondered, ‘My God! How can they make a movie like that, when these things are happening in Puerto Rico?
And when asked by the interviewer,
“In other words, does [Species] make you think there might have been an experiment in which a being escaped and is now at large?”
Tolentino answered: “Yes.”
-CAINE-
You can read about Ben's trip to Puerto Rico to interview Madelyne himself HERE on Alibi.com. And you can check out Ben's conclusion to the mystery, and the ensuing response from believers, on Cryptomundo. Be sure to check out Ben's website as well for more of his books at: RadfordBooks.com
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Cryptids: The Tale of Mothman
One of the more absurd yet persistent modern cryptids, Mothman is described as a large six and a half to seven foot tall, humanoid figure, sometimes headless with eyes in it's chest, brown or grey in color, with large wings, and glowing red eyes.The tale of Mothman begins in 1966 near Point Pleasant West Virginia where a group of grave diggers first claimed to have seen a dark brown "man-like" creature flying above the trees as they worked. The next day, another man claimed to have seen the creature standing in a field and late the following night, the most well known and most detailed encounter with the creature took place seven miles outside of Point Pleasant at the site of an abandoned WWII TNT factory.
That night, two young couples and their cousin "out for a drive" on a dark country road, claimed to have seen the creature while driving past an abandoned TNT factory. The group claimed they stopped to investigate what they then believed to be two strange red lights by an old generator plant which, Upon closer examination, they found to be the glowing red eyes of a seven foot tall creature with a pair of large wings folded behind it's back. Terrified, the group fled the scene and drove all the way back to the city limits with the creature taking flight and giving chase at speeds exceeding 100mph.
Over the next few weeks a handful of other witness would come forward to describe brief encounters with the creature in fields, or seeing it lurking in the tops of trees, but nothing as spectacular as the account given by the group from the TNT factory. Eventually, the tales of these encounters would make their way to the local papers, where a Batman inspired reporter would first dub the creature described in the encounters as Mothman
This is where the verifiable accounts-by which I mean claimed sightings that can be proven to have been made in 1966 and not years after the fact- come to an end. And even these accounts have been confused and embellished over the years thanks to books and movies on the subject, as well as the general erosion of memory that comes with the passage of time, making it hard to know exactly which version of any one encounter is accurate.
As for a natural explanation, like most cryptids
Mothman's
true origin is likely the simple misidentification of some other know animal. The most likely cantidate in this case, as first suggested by Joe Nickell, is the barred owl.Though admittedly on the small side, the barred owl can appear either brown or grey in color, could easily be perceived as headless with eyes in it's chest, due to the birds shoulderless frame, has large eyes which could be seen as glowing red when reflecting light thanks to the animals night vision, and most tellingly of all, bears an obvious resemblance to this early eyewitness sketch of Mothman. The times and places where the original sightings are said to have taken place also paint the barred owl as a likely suspect for the real Mothman.
-CAINE-
For a more detailed account of the Mothman myth, including it's alleged connection to the collapse of the Silver Bridge connecting Point Pleasant with Gallipolis, check out episode #159: "The Mothman Cometh", of Brian Dunning's Skeptoid pdcast
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