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I stirred things up over on CB a week or so ago with a post about Bigfoot. I got comments from some who like to consider the possibility that a population of large hominids exists that has not been officially "discovered" and recognized by the scientific community. I also got responses from the realists and skeptics who gave me the benefit of the doubt that I was trolling.
Here's where I stand on the issue:
I guess I am not what people would describe as a skeptic. I also do not feel I am gullible. I accept the possibility that there are things beyond my personal experience that exist or are true.
On the Bigfoot issue, there are thousands of eyewitness reports out there. There are videos and pictures, some of which are obviously faked, some of which are likely faked, and some of which are really difficult to explain away as faked.
There are kooks, some of whom are very visible and publicized, who are involved in Bigfoot "research"; there are some legitimate scientists and other earnest people who are also involved in Bigfoot research.
In the face of eyewitness and other circumstantial evidence, I tend to keep my mind open to the possibility that there is something unexplained by our current knowledge.
I don't believe in the Loch Ness Monster (I think the famous photo is faked, and there isn't enough evidence otherwise to suggest to me it's anything but stories and fraud). I think "chupacabra" is coyotes with mange.
Of the famous cryptids, Bigfoot or Sasquatch stands apart from all the others in the scope of evidence, and in the history with aboriginal people.
I have certainly not shut the door on the possibility of a large, "undiscovered" hominid, but I have also not concluded that they truly exist.
It's a fun exercise for me to look at the various Bigfoot websites and keep tabs on the Bigfoot community (I don't consider myself part of it, though). Recently I've been looking at the Patterson video and a lot of commentary about it (it's the famous one everyone's already seen), to see if I can conclusively convince myself that it was faked (i.e., a guy in a Bigfoot suit). The jury's still out on that for me.
Recent months have been as active as I've ever seen on the Bigfoot sites. The reasons are threefold:
1. There have been some very interesting photos and videos come to light recently, it seems to me in a much more frequent rate than in the past. It seems like all of a sudden, there are a bunch of new things to look at that aren't easily dismissed as fake. Let me share an example. This photo was posted for the first time ever, two months ago:
This is alleged to be from an improvised trail cam some guy set up to catch images of something that's been coming on his property. He sent one photo to someone with a Bigfoot site, who he heard on a radio show. He made her sit on it (allegedly) for four years because he was reluctant to let his identity be public because he doesn't want to deal with the ridicule and scorn that a lot of Bigfoot believers suffer. She finally published the photo, and it has caused a mini uproar. It's certainly the clearest alleged Bigfoot photo ever, and I don't think it can be mistaken for another animal. It's either what it purports to be, or it's a really good fake. And I'm talking a fake that would cost thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars to make.
2. A man named Adrian Erickson has been working on a Bigfoot documentary since 2005. Reportedly, he has gathered (bought up) quite a number of unreleased Bigfoot videos and pictures that will be part of the documentary. It is supposedly ready, but he is apparently waiting to release it at the same time as #3.
3. An animal geneticist, Dr. Melba Ketchum, has according to numerous reports, been working on a paper in which she has analyzed up to 200 tissue, blood and hair samples. It is on the verge of publication, and her conduct strongly suggests that she has concluded that DNA testing of multiple samples has revealed a hominid that has not yet been scientifically described. I've seen "leaked" information that up to 100 samples have come back as this unknown hominid. I've also seen "leaked" information that this unknown hominid is as much as 2/3 closer to human DNA than chimpanzees. She also claims to have her own unreleased videos and photos that will be released either as part of this paper, or shortly thereafter. She has not revealed the publication, but she has stated it's in a legitimate, peer-reviewed publication.
She won't (cannot) reveal any information about the paper, due to an embargo. There has been speculation that it would be published on a Thursday or Friday before May 1. There is, indeed, a paper that is subject to press embargo, that is on the subject of "genetics" that is scheduled to have the embargo lifted less than a half hour from now. Whether or not it's hers is pure speculation, but all indications are that it will be published sometime within the next month (although I've seen something saying it will be October, but she's specifically denied that, saying it's not true).
If this is her paper, there's going to be a lot of stuff going down today and tomorrow on the Bigfoot front. And that will be fun. Regardless of whether it's conclusively proved, or whether it's another false alarm.
Finally, I find it very interesting how many people around her believe that an angel gave gold plates to a young boy who translated them as a book of scripture, but they refuse to acknowledge anything else that falls under the category of paranormal. It's kind of a funny contradiction to me.
Here's where I stand on the issue:
I guess I am not what people would describe as a skeptic. I also do not feel I am gullible. I accept the possibility that there are things beyond my personal experience that exist or are true.
On the Bigfoot issue, there are thousands of eyewitness reports out there. There are videos and pictures, some of which are obviously faked, some of which are likely faked, and some of which are really difficult to explain away as faked.
There are kooks, some of whom are very visible and publicized, who are involved in Bigfoot "research"; there are some legitimate scientists and other earnest people who are also involved in Bigfoot research.
In the face of eyewitness and other circumstantial evidence, I tend to keep my mind open to the possibility that there is something unexplained by our current knowledge.
I don't believe in the Loch Ness Monster (I think the famous photo is faked, and there isn't enough evidence otherwise to suggest to me it's anything but stories and fraud). I think "chupacabra" is coyotes with mange.
Of the famous cryptids, Bigfoot or Sasquatch stands apart from all the others in the scope of evidence, and in the history with aboriginal people.
I have certainly not shut the door on the possibility of a large, "undiscovered" hominid, but I have also not concluded that they truly exist.
It's a fun exercise for me to look at the various Bigfoot websites and keep tabs on the Bigfoot community (I don't consider myself part of it, though). Recently I've been looking at the Patterson video and a lot of commentary about it (it's the famous one everyone's already seen), to see if I can conclusively convince myself that it was faked (i.e., a guy in a Bigfoot suit). The jury's still out on that for me.
Recent months have been as active as I've ever seen on the Bigfoot sites. The reasons are threefold:
1. There have been some very interesting photos and videos come to light recently, it seems to me in a much more frequent rate than in the past. It seems like all of a sudden, there are a bunch of new things to look at that aren't easily dismissed as fake. Let me share an example. This photo was posted for the first time ever, two months ago:
This is alleged to be from an improvised trail cam some guy set up to catch images of something that's been coming on his property. He sent one photo to someone with a Bigfoot site, who he heard on a radio show. He made her sit on it (allegedly) for four years because he was reluctant to let his identity be public because he doesn't want to deal with the ridicule and scorn that a lot of Bigfoot believers suffer. She finally published the photo, and it has caused a mini uproar. It's certainly the clearest alleged Bigfoot photo ever, and I don't think it can be mistaken for another animal. It's either what it purports to be, or it's a really good fake. And I'm talking a fake that would cost thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars to make.
2. A man named Adrian Erickson has been working on a Bigfoot documentary since 2005. Reportedly, he has gathered (bought up) quite a number of unreleased Bigfoot videos and pictures that will be part of the documentary. It is supposedly ready, but he is apparently waiting to release it at the same time as #3.
3. An animal geneticist, Dr. Melba Ketchum, has according to numerous reports, been working on a paper in which she has analyzed up to 200 tissue, blood and hair samples. It is on the verge of publication, and her conduct strongly suggests that she has concluded that DNA testing of multiple samples has revealed a hominid that has not yet been scientifically described. I've seen "leaked" information that up to 100 samples have come back as this unknown hominid. I've also seen "leaked" information that this unknown hominid is as much as 2/3 closer to human DNA than chimpanzees. She also claims to have her own unreleased videos and photos that will be released either as part of this paper, or shortly thereafter. She has not revealed the publication, but she has stated it's in a legitimate, peer-reviewed publication.
She won't (cannot) reveal any information about the paper, due to an embargo. There has been speculation that it would be published on a Thursday or Friday before May 1. There is, indeed, a paper that is subject to press embargo, that is on the subject of "genetics" that is scheduled to have the embargo lifted less than a half hour from now. Whether or not it's hers is pure speculation, but all indications are that it will be published sometime within the next month (although I've seen something saying it will be October, but she's specifically denied that, saying it's not true).
If this is her paper, there's going to be a lot of stuff going down today and tomorrow on the Bigfoot front. And that will be fun. Regardless of whether it's conclusively proved, or whether it's another false alarm.
Finally, I find it very interesting how many people around her believe that an angel gave gold plates to a young boy who translated them as a book of scripture, but they refuse to acknowledge anything else that falls under the category of paranormal. It's kind of a funny contradiction to me.
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