Loch Ness monster study results ‘surprising’

Image Credit: CC 2.0 Dave Conner

Is there a monster lurking in the depths of Loch Ness ? 

A recent effort to trawl Loch Ness for potential ‘monster’ DNA has reportedly yielded some interesting results.

The study, which was led by New Zealand scientist Professor Neil Gemmell, aimed to use DNA sampling techniques to find out whether there was any scientific basis for the monster legend.

Now at last, almost a year after the DNA samples were collected, Prof Gemmell and his team have almost finished the analysis and will be announcing the full results at a conference next month.

From the findings released so far, the team has managed to identify the DNA of 15 different species of fish and a whopping 3,000 species of bacteria, among other things.

Part of the study also involved investigating the validity of various monster hypotheses such as whether or not the creature could be a prehistoric reptile, a sturgeon or a giant catfish.

“Is there anything deeply mysterious ?” said Gemmell. “Hmm. It depends what you believe. Is there anything startling? There are a few things that are a bit surprising.”

“We’ve tested each one of the main monster hypotheses and three of them we can probably say aren’t right and one of them might be.”

Source: Scotsman