In June, an international team of Super Natural History scientists will prove or disprove the existence of the Loch Ness Monster.
Scientists will take water samples and study tiny DNA remnants (eDNA) of living organisms that live in the murky waters of the lake. They will then compile a detailed list of all living organisms in Loch Ness and compare them with data from several other lakes to identify differences.
The use of eDNA sampling has already proven itself as a tool for observing sharks, whales, fish and other animals. He should easily show what species live in the mysterious waters of Loch Ness.
“Whenever a creature moves through its environment, it leaves behind tiny fragments of DNA from skin, scales, feathers, fur, feces and urine,” says team leader Neil Gemmell of the University of Otago, New Zealand.
This DNA can be captured, sequenced, and then used for identification by comparing the resulting sequence with large databases of known genetic sequences from 100,000 different organisms, he said. Even if an exact match is not found, scientists can still figure out which branch of the tree of life this sequence corresponds to.
However, according to Neil Gemmell, he does not expect to find any traces of DNA from a large extinct marine reptile. Most likely large fish such as catfish or sturgeon are mistaken for the monster. “And we can test this idea and others,” the scientist is sure.
As Neil Gemmell notes, hunting monsters is not the main goal of the project, and the search for evidence of the existence of the Loch Ness monster is only an excuse to study life in the waters of the lake. Researchers will not only search for new previously unknown underwater inhabitants, but also document the development of traditional and invasive species. For example, the recently discovered Pacific pink salmon in the lake.
The research team includes scientists from the UK, Denmark, USA, Australia and France. “We have the opportunity through this project to demonstrate the scientific process: how hypotheses are established and tested,” the Super Natural History project website notes.
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This is just one of over 1000 Loch Ness sightings recorded in the Official Loch Ness Registry. The register records encounters with a monster that goes back almost 1500 years before AD.
For the first time, the Loch Ness monster was talked about in 565 AD. He was allegedly spotted in the Ness River, which flows out of the lake to connect with the North Sea. And this is the only observation recorded before 1520. Over the next 300 years, meetings with Nessie are rare. But in the early 1930s, a road was built around Loch Ness, and stories of encounters with the monster increased.
To date, almost 1000 stories have been recorded about the meeting with the Loch Ness monster. Many of them describe a creature with a long neck that resembles a plesiosaur from prehistoric times.
Sergey Sergeev