Does Bigfoot exist? Dr. Jeff Meldrum – a professor of anatomy and anthropology specializing in primate locomotor adaptations and bipedalism at Idaho State University – believes Bigfoot is real (and probably prefers the term “Sasquatch”). Today on the show, Dr. Meldrum drops by TBM HQ to talk all things Sasquatch, as well as his life-long fascination with the controversial “relict hominoid.” In our conversation, we cover:
CHAPTERS:
00:00:00 | Intro
00:02:36 | Meet Dr. Jeff Meldrum, Bigfoot Expert
00:05:19 | Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Relict Hominoids
00:09:18 | The Bluff Creek Incident
00:15:22 | The Patterson-Gimlin Film
00:25:48 | Footprint Evidence and Casts
00:35:21 | Sasquatch Foot Anatomy
00:45:20 | Skepticism and Challenges
00:55:33 | Estimating Sasquatch Size and Weight
00:56:15 | Alberta Encounter
01:03:36 | Ally or Hoaxer?
01:07:43 | Navigating Academic Stigma in Sasquatch Research
01:21:34 | Why Physical Evidence Matters
01:35:59 | Where’s the Body?
02:00:05 | Anatomy Lessons
02:08:10 | The Men Behind the Film: Truth to the End
02:14:03 | Sasquatch Density
02:26:21 | Hunting for Bigfoot: Tools of the Trade
02:34:53 | The Hair Dilemma: DNA Dead Ends
02:39:27 | Ancient Apes & Modern Mysteries
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Jeff Meldrum's Book | Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science: https://www.amazon.com/Sasquatch-Legend-Science-Jeff-Meldrum/dp/0765312174/
Gareth Patterson's Book | Beyond the Secret Elephants: https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Secret-Elephants-elephants-discovery-ebook/dp/B083W4CS6T
Relict Hominoid Inquiry: https://isu.edu/rhi
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CREDITS
Featuring Dr. Jeff Meldrum
Intro and Animations by Barry Thompson
Photograph Contributions for Animation by Carver Weeks
Additional Graphics by Andrew O’Neill
Production Assistance by John Stock
“Welcome to the Backcountry” theme song by Logan Roth, Will Brown, Arjun Dube and produced at Treacle Mine Studios, Phila, PA
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