Science writer steps all over rumors about Bigfoot
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Well-known Chinese science writer Fang Zhouzi, who developed a reputation for exposing academic fraud, insisted that Wildman (Bigfoot) is a figment of people's imagination even as an organization in Hubei Province prepares to hunt for the mysterious half-human, half-ape creature.
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In an article titled "Wild Man in Shennongjia? How Come There Is Not a Tooth Left?" published on the Beijing-based China Youth Daily Wednesday, Fang said the chance of Bigfoot's existence is next to zero and certain evidence associated with his existence are not "convincing."
Fang's assertions came two months after the Hubei Wild Man Research Association said that they would launch a 10-million-yuan ($1.5 million) campaign to search for the creature, although the project was postponed "indefinitely" due to a lack of financial support, Wang Shancai, head of the association, told the Global Times.
The Shennongjia Nature Reserve in Hubei has long been rumored to be home of the elusive Bigfoot. Wang said some hairs found there were more advanced than apes' hair and they were tested by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
It was reported that more than 400 people said they saw Bigfoot in the Shennongjia area in the last 100 years including villagers, reporters and explorers, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
However, Fang insisted that those evidence are scanty.
Fang argued that no fossils of Bigfoot have been discovered. "There is not a single tooth left, how do you expect people to believe it?" Fang said.
He said that by examining DNA extracted from the remaining cells in the root of hair, it is possible to determine the species of the hair. However, Fang said that since all the hairs discovered so far do not have roots, it is impossible to make such a conclusion.
"It's absolutely not necessary to conduct such scientific research in the first place, which is a waste of time and money," Fang told the Global Times. He said the expedition was a ploy to attract tourists.
In response to the accusation that Fang is not an expert, he said he studied biology and has a say on this matter.
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