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July 28, 2005 – Yukon Hair Sample Findings |
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The following is the unedited statement that Dr. Dave Coltman,
University of Alberta, delivered to the press this morning regarding
the specimen of hair from Teslin, Yukon, that he was given to test.
Additionally, Dr. Coltman passed along to me, Loren Coleman, this
comment: “My hunch is that this was a hoax, and the hair came from a
bison skin. That of course does not tell us anything about a
Sasquatch.” |
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Statement:
The DNA profile of the hair sample we received from the Yukon
earlier this week clearly matches reference DNA profiles from North
American bison, Bison bison. Dr Corey Davis determined the
DNA sequence of part of the control region of the mitochondria and
compared this to several of our reference samples as well as
international genetic databases such as GenBank. The DNA sequence
from the Teslin hair sample produced a 100% match with known bison
sequences. It also bore little similarity to other groups of mammals
such as primates or carnivores. There is more to the story, however.
We found that the DNA in this specimen was highly degraded, and it
took repeated attempts and much perseverance to be able to amplify
sufficient mitochondrial DNA for sequencing. This is inconsistent
with the idea that the hair sample was recently separated from its
owner. In our experience, shed hair collected in the field is a
highly reliable source of mitochondrial DNA, even after weeks of
exposure to ambient conditions. The extent of degradation of this
sample is consistent with longer-term, over-winter exposure to
moisture and direct sunlight, or could be a consequence of the
tanning process that is used to preserve hides and trophy mounts,
which is well known to be destructive to DNA.
On the basis of the condition of the sample, and the match to bison,
we therefore conclude that this hair sample could not have come from
the hairy bipedal animal that was reportedly sighted in Teslin last
week.
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