Oxford Scholars Search for Yeti

The search for the yeti is going high-tech. Thanks to genetic analysis, Oxford researchers hope to say for sure whether the creature of lore exists, Gizmodo reports. Working in conjunction with the Lausanne Museum of Zoology, researchers are asking people who claim to have evidence of the yeti to send in their samples for investigation. The scholars would especially like to collect pieces of hair.

There are many theories as to the origins of the creature, which has been reported all over the world, a scientist tells Wired.co.uk. (Generally speaking, the US version is Bigfoot.) They could be "collateral hominid species, such as Homo neanderthalensis or Homo floresiensis," or "large primates," or even bear subspecies. "Mainstream science remains unconvinced by these reports both through lack of testable evidence and the scope for fraudulent claims," he notes. But new analysis techniques offer "identification that is unbiased, unambiguous and impervious to falsification." (More bigfoot stories.)