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The bigfoot cryptid monster makes for a really fun and enlightening example of how science is not supposed to work, despite what his proponents have to say about him. While cryptid monsters can be fun and whimsical, they and the search for them, a field known as cryptozoology, are also one of the most potent examples of pseudoscience. In this episode Zach and I explore the topic of cryptozoology, why it is a pseudoscience and what legitimate science actually looks like.

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Created by: Ryan Pevey at evolio.org and Zach Jobe @zhjobe

Concept: A science and comedy conversation about what philosophical bullshit is and how to detectit.

Tools: DaVinci Resolve, GIMP

Intro music by Maksym Malko from Pixabay (pixabay.com/music/upbeat-podcast-interview-music-254186/)

Podcast streams:

redcircle.com/shows/04ecc7a3-3383-4ca0-bff3-c55d04100ed5

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-science-stories/id1874450380

open.spotify.com/show/50xaIb6jjmSJv7georpfVt?si=16e6c0e030414593

music.amazon.com/podcasts/b0415a99-f209-4c66-80c5-d8eb2b490811/hidden-science-stories

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Citations:

Bryan C. Sykes, Rhettman A. Mullis, Christophe Hagenmuller, Terry W. Melton, Michel Sartori; Genetic analysis of hair samples attributed to yeti, bigfoot and other anomalous primates. Proc Biol Sci 1 August 2014; 281 (1789): 20140161. doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.0161

Li, X., D. Yang, L. Wang, and J. J. Wiens. 2025. The past and future of known biodiversity: Rates, patterns, and projections of new species over time. Science Advances 11:eadz3071. wienslab.com/Publications_files/Li_et_al._Sci_Adv_2025.pdf

Smith, J.L.B. (1956), Old Fourlegs: The Story of the Coelacanth, Longmans. openlibrary.org/books/OL6196638M/Old_Fourlegs

Natural History Museum (London), "Coelacanths: The fish that 'outdid' the Loch Ness Monster" nhm.ac.uk/discover/coelacanths-the-fish-that-outdid-the-loch-ness-monster.html

Natural History Museum (London) "What is environmental DNA (eDNA)?" nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is-environmental-dna-edna.html

Cornell Chronicle, Jan. 2026, "Environmental DNA breakthrough will aid conservation efforts" news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/01/environmental-dna-breakthrough-will-aid-conservation-efforts

Smithsonian Magazine "The Giant Squid: Dragon of the Deep" smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-giant-squid-dragon-of-the-deep-18784038/

NPR, 2025, "Using eDNA to track world's biodiversity". npr.org/2025/05/22/g-s1-67081/environmental-dna-edna-air-track-biodiversity

Hill, Sharon A. Skeptical Inquirer: "Cryptozoology and Pseudoscience". skepticalinquirer.org/newsletter/cryptozoology-and-pseudoscience/

0:00 Bigfoot

13:13 A serious science debunking

15:42 Famous cryptids

24:27 Legitimate science efforts

31:00 The coelacanth and lazarus species

35:43 New species discoveries

39:48 The Kraken

45:10 Cyclops

50:22 Paleomythology of the PNW

58:04 eDNA

1:03:59 Point of Optimism