L'abominevole uomo delle nevi non sarebbe altro che un orso: a dimostrarlo sono le analisi del DNA condotte su nove reperti ritrovati tra Tibet e Nepal e attribuiti dal folklore popolare allo Yeti.
Ossa e peli, oggi conservati in musei e collezioni private, apparterebbero in realtà a esemplari di orso nero asiatico, orso bruno tibetano e orso bruno himalayano, e potrebbero perfino contribuire a salvare queste specie a rischio aiutando a ricostruire la loro evoluzione genetica. A sostenerlo è uno studio pubblicato sulla rivista Proceedings of the Royal Society B da un gruppo internazionale di ricerca coordinato dalla biologa Charlotte Lindqvist dell'Università di Buffalo, negli Stati Uniti.
“La base biologica della leggenda dello Yeti e la genetica è in grado di risolvere altri analoghi misteri”, spiega la scienziata.
Non è la prima volta che il presunto DNA dello Yeti viene esaminato, ma "questo studio - precisa la ricercatrice - costituisce l'analisi più rigorosa fatta finora su campioni attribuiti a mitiche creature simili a ominidi.
Gli orsi dell'Himalaya e del plateau tibetano sono a rischio o seriamente minacciati, “ma non sappiamo molto della loro storia", sottolinea Lindqvist. "Chiarire la struttura della popolazione e la loro diversità genetica potrà aiutare a stimare meglio le dimensioni delle popolazioni e ad elaborare nuove strategie per la loro gestione".
ATS/ludoC
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