The mystery of the Yeti has finally been solved.
A new study conducted by a group of researches suggests that the long-fabled and elusive Abominable Snowman is actually most likely just local brown bears in the Himalayan and Tibetan region, squashing the myth forever, Time reports.
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Researchers performed DNA analyses on 24 hair, tissue, bone and fecal matter samples collected from museums and people native to the Tibetan Plateau of the Himalayas. Nine of those samples allegedly came from Yetis, the other 15 were samples of genetic material from brown bears local to the regions where Yetis have been spotted.
The results are a bit of a blow to people who believe in the ape-like creature. The study concluded that eight of the “Yeti” samples actually came from Himalayan brown bears and other bear species native to the area, like the Tibetan brown bear, the Continental Eurasian brown bear and the Asian brown bear. The ninth sample came from a dog.
The study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society, was prompted after researchers studying DNA samples found a link between “Yeti” samples and ancient polar bears. The researchers concluded in the paper that the results of the DNA tests strongly suggest “that the biological basis of the yeti legend is local brown and black bears.”
