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If Not Bigfoot then How about Littlefoot?

RecoveringYuppy said:
My questions is what would happen if it was a close relative? Would DNA be definitive in that case? I understand how distant species like wolves, mountain lions, rabbits, and mice would be easily recognized as non-human. But would an unknown near relative of humans, possibly a hidden tribe of the same species as us, be recognizable as such via a DNA test?
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According to the following reference, with pertinent quote, it appears to be no problem:

http://www.actforlibraries.org/dna-species-identification/

Modern tools have made DNA species identification more and more powerful. Using a combination of electronic, optical and biological components it is now possible to measure the separation between species in a matter of minutes. For known species DNA chips can even identify hundreds of species simultaneously. And, even if a species is unknown, such technology can quickly rule out it’s belonging to an already known species.
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RecoveringYuppy said:
How does it work when the difference is zero?

ETA: Some might be interested in what is known and not known about Homo floresiensis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_floresiensis
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Zero difference = known species. Remember, we're talking about DNA here, and with no DNA currently available for Homo floresiensis, it's exact species determination is based on qualified anthropological studies, some of which may have slightly alternate interpretations.

The original point was Gord_in_Toronto's link that, in Gord's words showed, "The Yeti hairs so tested have been found to be mundane animals." You questioned the DNA reliability of closely related species, and I provided a reference supporting their accuracy. If you want to argue that some humans have been misidentified as a separate species, I am confident that has happened, is happening, and will continue to happen, but not via DNA analysis.
 
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