Without a type specimen the DNA is meaningless. Even "novel" DNA means nothing without a specimen. You can't prove a negative with DNA either.
Whereas the record over the last thousand years has amply attested to bigfoot as myth, and nothing in these DNA studies will change that.
The minimizer "all I am suggesting" is the means of framing an unreasonable statement as having the appearance of being reasonable.
Ignoring all the evidence we do have, and instead "waiting" on studies that can prove nothing about the existence or nonexistence is pretty unreasonable logically.
ABP, I beg to differ here. There are several features of DNA that give it added power over eyewitness, plaster casts etc. And actually we have already seen the DNA evidence shift the BF discussion in significant ways.
First, as referenced here earlier, we do use DNA to define new species . We mentioned the Denisovians, identified through a tooth, a finger bone, and DNA. We routinely use DNA to discover cryptic species. Right now as we speak, My crew islooking at splitting one known species into several, based on their DNA differences. We do this because in this case, if you look at the animals, they all look very similar, but looking at the DNA, it's clear there are several non interbreeding populations that have significant differences.
Second: Even the reported results of melbas study, even before they can be reviewed - have already changed the frame of the discussion. Based on her reports, we now have to look at this thing as a highbrid population. If her mtDNA results are accurate, that precludes any other option of what BF is. It is the DNA that moved the needle! (We can argue and doubt melba all we want, and I will, but she reports all of her samples have human mtDNA, so if thats true those data back the BFers into a corner on their varied and shifting ideas. )
And if those results are accurate BTW, Human mtDNA, it contains alot of other bits and pieces of information that are of interest to potential researchers. we can tell in an instant where the mothers of this population trace their lineage back to, what part of the world, and also get a time frame, all of that is valuable information.
third: considering the reported whole genome. This would be a gold mine of information. there is so much we can do with that, consider all of the findings and advancements that have come from using the results of the Human Genome project. I can't even give justice to what we could investigate with a the whole genome, we could look at the chromosomes, see how they match up. we could "paint " the chromosomes, which IE determines the genetic heritage of different portions of each chromosome. (see Sykes DNA-USA for a really good treatment of that process, and the information available from chromosome painting)
We are also becoming more and more capable at Phenotyping a genome. we can look at specific genes and predict what each of those genes would produce characteristic wise. so we could begin to get a good understanding of what this thing looked like. The list goes on and on.
As for a type specimen: If there were actual DNA that indicated unknown primate in North America. you can rest assured that real biologists backed by well funded organizations would jump into the search immediately. it would be like all the museums sending out dino fossil hunters in the early 1900's. It was a major competitive operation!
Valid DNA, analyzed properly, would lead to the discovery of a previously unknown North American primate in short order!
You are right, unfortunately , that DNA cannot prove a negative. however what it can do is produce the strongest yet repudiation of some of the "best" known evidence. each and every time a DNA test come back Bear, human, Yak, Cow, Llama, etc etc, it moves the needle farther and farther from plausible and closer and closer to riduculous! Normal people with reasonable deductive skills appreciate that information, it allows them to make informed judgements!
We already know what the true believers will do with this info. But i just love seeing these guys make incredible public claims, only to get shot in the butt time after time by the well performed magic of science!
CWB
