When Texas veterinarian Melba Ketchum announced earlier this year that she had found some DNA of Bigfoot (Sasquatch), many were astounded. It was even in the DeNovo Scientific Journal.

But some were skeptical. Eric Berger, a science reporter with the Houston Chronicle wanted to know why there was no mention of her findings in a reputable peer review journal.

When Ketchum released her ‘scientific study’ of Big Foot earlier this year, Berger hammered her for not submitting the paper to a credible peer-reviewed journal and not allowing mainstream researchers to verify her work.

Instead, she launched a journal of her own, the DeNovo Scientific Journal, and published her findings online and charged $30 to read the work.

Eventually Eric and Melba got to talking and Eric became an intermediary between Melba and a geneticist.

A funny thing happened later that week — Ketchum called me. We spoke for nearly an hour, and after the bad things I had written about her research, I was impressed that she bore no grudge and wanted to nonetheless engage with me. It was a good and constructive conversation.

I am first and foremost a journalist, and I figured if there was even a 1 percent chance that the Bigfoot evidence was real, it was worth my time to check the story out.

So I agreed to be an intermediary between Ketchum and a highly reputable geneticist in Texas, whom I trusted and knew personally. I also knew that this geneticist was first and foremost a scientist, and if there was even a 1 percent chance the Bigfoot evidence was real, he’d want check out the story. I asked, and he was willing to approach the evidence with an open mind.

And after more analysis from the geneticist, the DNA was mostly opossum DNA, mixed in with markers from other animals.

So the Search For Bigfoot will continue.