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Bigfoot DNA

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And supposing there is a breach, what exactly would the cause of action be, and as importantly, how much would it be worth? Crossing one's heart and hoping to die is probably just as effective secret keeping promise.

I think my bigger confusion is I'm still not getting where Ketchum's automated 'fame & fortune' teller machine is located. I mean, being there is no Bigfoot and all. Seems getting all caught up in the pretend DNA analysis of a pretend creature would ultimately lead to nothing but hard feelings and a big trail of unanswered questions. Hardly profitable I'd say, but then again, this is Popular Bigfooting. ;)

I asked that question last year, "What exactly would happen if you tried to sue someone for breaching an NDA about bigfoot DNA?" I think it spun into patents and all that stuff but from what I understand you can't patent a naturally occurring genome. Then it got largely ignored after that.

I can see her selling this to the Russians. Meldrum said he thought that the bigfoot myth was primarily supported by the Rissian govt. to promote tourism over there.
 
She said in an interview that she did blind testing with different labs and the results were identical. They even used a forensics lab which specializes in handling DNA that is contaminated. It's now really a matter of whether you believe her or not. Judging by how much time some of you spend on this topic, one would think you are at least open to the idea.
 
I don't know how skilled, or how broad her scope of practice was, but as a vet would she not be capable of doing in vitro cultures? Looks like you can buy stem cell cultures of human bone marrow from several companies ranging anywhere from $200-$500. Do you think it is it possible she could have faked the results by creating a chimera that didn't get past the cellular stage? Couldn't she extract some weird DNA results from that?

Scientists named the singleton Chimero, and the twins Roku and Hex, meaning six in Japanese and Greek. Hex was born after merging six individual embryos, according to a report in the journal Cell. "To our knowledge, these infants are the world's first primate chimeras," the authors write.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jan/05/chimera-monkeys-combining-several-embryos

Nahhh, probably not, a buccal swab of human DNA is cheaper.
 
She said in an interview that she did blind testing with different labs and the results were identical. They even used a forensics lab which specializes in handling DNA that is contaminated. It's now really a matter of whether you believe her or not. Judging by how much time some of you spend on this topic, one would think you are at least open to the idea.

Well, as has been said before, there is no such thing as a bigfoot, and therefore no such thing as bigfoot DNA.

I'm interested in Melba and her report strictly for the comedy value, but I am definitely interested.

I just can't decide whether it will be lame, or comedy gold.

Looking back on what she has said, I'm betting on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF7OnW4XDck
 
She said in an interview that she did blind testing with different labs and the results were identical. They even used a forensics lab which specializes in handling DNA that is contaminated. It's now really a matter of whether you believe her or not. Judging by how much time some of you spend on this topic, one would think you are at least open to the idea.

This person says a lot of things and has been saying them for years. Still no monkey. Why no monkey?

Will someone think of the monkeys?
 
She said in an interview that she did blind testing with different labs and the results were identical. They even used a forensics lab which specializes in handling DNA that is contaminated. It's now really a matter of whether you believe her or not. Judging by how much time some of you spend on this topic, one would think you are at least open to the idea.

I for one, am open to the idea - in my opinion, thats the "duty" of a skeptic. You do not have to believe, but you have to be willing to examine the data with an open mind. That is in contrast to a Cynic, who by my personal deffiniton, is a true non believer, exhibiting much of the same behaviors as true believers in their unwillingness to examine with an open mind!

I expect all reputable labs to produce the identical results, but typically those are just the sequence of A&T and C&G. there is no editing of the sequence, no analysis done, at least in the labs i deal with, (however, i do not deal in whole genomes, perhaps she hired them to do the analysis as well), but since she proudly and publically crowed that she lied to the labs already - well , theres that credibility issue again!

I'm sure there is some version of a paper, but it lacked scientific vigor. So thats why it will be published in a believer rag, if at all. even that would not matter, if she simply released the data she claims to have. there is nothing stopping her from doing that now - today! The paper she claims already gives her scientific precedence, even before it is published, so there can be no valid reason to continue to hide those data!

This whole saga could be over tommorrow - literally tommorrow if Melba did one thing. make her data available for independant analysis. There would be no more examining Melba and her level of expertise, there would be no looking at her personal and scientific past, all that would go away in a heartbeat. just simply release the data for examination. thats it, that simple, Hell Disotell has even said, send him a couple of thousand bases and he could clear all of this up in milliseconds - and he is right.

Instead we get people knashing their hands and complaining that they are being disrespected etc! All of that goes away, release the data, in 24 hours, you are either going to be a new scientific superstar! or the next Pons and Fleishman!

There is no scientific bias against the existance of bigfoot, rather what you have is the complete lack of any compelling evidence that the beast may exist. science says - show me the data, melba says bugger off!

Thats the issue here. The lack of following well established and very usefull scientific protocols! the interesting part of that is, had those protocols been followed, Melba would be getting the respect she seems to crave so much. Instead she has subjected herself to several years of close examination of here personal and professional life, and the results have not been favorable so far. Don't miss the important word there, "herself" This is all self inflicted! Melba made and continues to make a long series of conciencious decisions that allow this soap opera to continue - when she could end it once and for all, within 24 hours, with her being completely vindicated!
The ball is in her court, but i ask you, why would she prefer this dog and pony show to continue, instead of raising herself into the scientific hall of fame overnight?
CWB
 
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I can give a partial answer: Ketchum's initial brush with Bigfoot netted her two television appearances. That is both fame and money. Her second was with Tom Biscardi and David Paulides, both of whom had access to very rich backers. ....

Ketchum's story is not unlike that of Munns, Meldrum, Moneymaker, and the other monetizers of the "bigfoot" of modern folklore. Each parlays some marginal credential (the one I love is the "cryptolinguist" who claims to have found a bigfoot language) into a breathless "investigation" which promises to validate the presence of a flesh and blood "bigfoot." The myth that "there is no money in bigfootery" is one that is promulgated by those who are making the money, and bought into by the masses of "researchers" who are certainly not making any money.

It is undeniably true that there is no money in actually hunting for bigfoot. The hunters (starting with Rene Dahinden) are the suckers.

While we often cite the similarities between bigfootery and religious cults, there is another useful parallel: the gold rushes of the western US. The current bigfoot craze is not unlike the old goldrush days...the people who made the money were not the ones out in the field with pans and shovels. The people who make the money are the clever ones who "guide" the hunters, sell the maps and the shovels and the supplies and the books, and hype the whole thing. Of course, with the "bigfoot" of modern folklore, it's even more true, because with "bigfoot" there is no 'gold' to be found.

The real skill in the con game comes after years of "soon," when no "gold" is found, when the "breathless" investigation (shown on cable channels) fails to fulfill the promises of the particular huckster. Of course, the conmen/women try to fall back on the "check/DNA/photogrammetry/video is STILL in the mail" excuse, but the highest level of con is in cynically convincing the suckers that the failure to find the "gold" is somehow the fault of the "armchair skeptics", "Science", a "gubmint" conspiracy, and finally, the suckers themselves.
 
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...even that would not matter, if she simply released the data she claims to have. there is nothing stopping her fro doing that now - today! The paper she claims already gives her scientific precedence, even before it is published, so there can be no valid reason to continue to hide those data!

This whole saga could be over tommorrow - literally tommorrow if Melba did one thing. make her data available for independant analysis. ...

Instead we get people knashing their hands and complaining that they are being disrespected etc! All of that goes away, release the data, in 24 hours, you are either going to be a new scientific superstar! or the next Pons and Fleishman!

... Melba made and continues to make a long series of conciencious decisions that allow this soap opera to continue - when she could end it once and for all, withing 24 hours, with her being completely vindicated!
The ball is in her court, but i ask you, why would she prefer this dog and pony show to continue, instead of raising herself into the scientific hall of fame overnight?
CWB

Awesome post, Cal.

Let me speculate on why she won't do what you suggest.

Ketchum is in an odd situation. It seems that the only assets she has, other than "blue sky", may be the "ownership" of results of sequencing of the nuDNA of three samples, and possibly the 20 sequences of mtDNA, that supposed are from "bigfoots". In fact, we don't even know whether she owns those results. If Daddy Bigbucks had any sense, he would have purchased those when he gave Ketchum a whole lot of money.

Apparently, by her own recent admission, she did not do the sequencing herself. Her role was simply to convince people to send her samples, and do some of the extracting ie much of what did was she just receive samples and send them out, and then receive the sequence results, with or without analysis/comments by someone else.

Further, she seems unable to process/synthesize/analyze/write up the results in a coherent and convincing manner.

The point being that, going forward, she calls herself "Scientist, Forensics and Hominid Research; but at present she doesn't seem to have a marketable skill set on the latter, other than possibly knowing which labs to send specimens to. I could be wrong.

So how can she monetize the sequencing results that she (or possibly Daddy Bigbucks) "owns"? The only way I can think of is to patent some sort of rapid and cheap "bigfoot DNA test," and/or write a book/DVD. I have my doubts about her ability to do the former, and the latter is what she seems to have done, using the Erickson footage and a lot of interview stuff.

Both of these strategies require some kind of validation of her theories, but not necessarily a scientific article authored BY HERSELF. But it would have to be a favorable article.

So, to summarize thoughts as to why doesn't she release the data:
1) she may not own the data
2) she is very interested in getting a positive scientific paper published and she isn't confident that her data will convince a real scientist.

I think she will continue submitting and revising, just as she has always said she would, but now with a substantial amount of help from Daddy Bigbucks, protecting his investment; this will be "an offer she can't refuse." Eventually a watered-down version will appear somewhere, a paper that she can point to as some sort of validation for her forthcoming monetizations.

I could also give you my major college football bowl predictions....
 
@calwaterbear
I agree and I think the data may eventually come out one way or another. But right now it seems she and her team are aiming for species recognition through a reputable science journal.
 
At the rate she is going they will be extinct before anyone can see the data.

* I guess I need to post a disclaimer that this is supposed to be a joke.
 
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^Jodie, well, since what she seems to have is the DNA from regular old human beings who just don't happen to be in GenBank, I doubt they (we) will be extinct any time soon.
 
At the rate she is going they will exist before anyone will see the data.

How long would it take a current primate species to evolve into a Bigfoot-like creature?
 
The ball is in her court, but i ask you, why would she prefer this dog and pony show to continue, instead of raising herself into the scientific hall of fame overnight?
CWB

Because when you make stuff up, you have to make other stuff up to cover for the stuff you made up.

Covering your tracks, like Footie is alleged to do.
 
Because when you make stuff up, you have to make other stuff up to cover for the stuff you made up.

Covering your tracks, like Footie is alleged to do.

They have themselves in pretty deep on this little hoax, but somehow I am sure they don't care cause after all, it is about Bigfoot and the only thing bigger than a 9' tall 800 pound hairy ape man running loose all over the country is the Laughs it brings talking about it.
 
They have themselves in pretty deep on this little hoax, but somehow I am sure they don't care cause after all, it is about Bigfoot and the only thing bigger than a 9' tall 800 pound hairy ape man running loose all over the country is the Laughs it brings talking about it.
Logical folks would say it's a specimen or nothing now. Of course you'd have to go find some logical folks up around this biotch.
 
^Jodie, well, since what she seems to have is the DNA from regular old human beings who just don't happen to be in GenBank, I doubt they (we) will be extinct any time soon.

It's a distinct possibility that we will before we see the data.
 
...but i ask you, why would she prefer this dog and pony show to continue, instead of raising herself into the scientific hall of fame overnight?
Because her public is bigfootery and not the scientific community and because you don't need to make a real study with real data to become a science leader within bigfootery?
 
Ditto on that Castro- It's not preserving sasquatch that seems to be the goal here but preserving the myth instead.
 
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