Ideas in Motion

Sasquatch CSI

SCDS faculty aren’t given boilerplate curricula to teach. That’s why it’s challenging to teach here, but for those with a passion, it’s also exhilarating. 7-8 Science teacher James Spies devised a project influenced by two very different things: his wife's work as a fish geneticist at NOAA, and a lecture by a college instructor who studied Sasquatch clues. The result? Sasquatch CSI.

“My students were fired up to do lab work and the mystery inherent in both forensics and the subject of Sasquatch grabbed their attention,” says James. 

He distributed tissue and hair samples for his students to analyze. Using sophisticated equipment, they extracted the DNA which was then amplified through PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)—a technique to quickly “clone” a particular piece of DNA in a test tube. Last, students entered the results into a genetics database.

The lab work process was both complex and exciting. One student reported that his high-school age sister was “totally jealous of the project and wished she was doing something like it.”

The results of the student’s work solved the mystery of their samples—but not entirely! Some of the sample results came back as dog, bear, and cow. But others came back as 85% human. 85%? What about the other 15%?

James isn’t telling.