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DNA search for evidence of Loch Ness monster to begin
[NYDAILYNEWS] Scientists in Scotland are preparing for a two-week-long DNA sweep of Loch Ness next month to map out all of the living creatures that inhabit it ‐ like, perhaps, the Loch Ness monster.The team in charge of the genetic coding of the U.K.'s largest freshwater ecosystem is skeptical that it will find any evidence of the mythical creature; but isn't completely ruling it out."Hoot, mon! We need tae take some swabs from auld Nessie!" "I'm going into this thinking it's unlikely there is a monster, but I want to test that hypothesis," lead researcher Neil Gemmell told The Guardian. "What we'll get is a really nice survey of the biodiversity of Loch Ness." "Nae, Jock! You take the Nessie swabs, I'll get the rest!" And that's the crux of the research trip. More interesting to the scientists than past sightings of Nessi is the knowledge they will gain from the DNA fragments left behind in the feathers, fur and feces of the animals that have moved through the loch. They expect to discover evidence of new species, particularly that of bacteria strains. "Ye hae no idea how to take a swab from yon wee bacterium!" "While the prospect of looking for evidence of the Loch Ness monster is the hook to this project, there is an extraordinary amount of new knowledge that we will gain from the work about organisms that inhabit Loch Ness," Gemmell said. "O' course aye do! Aye'll use yon eentsy weentsy swab!" The focus on fact hasn't dampened the excitement of some believers, however. A local expert, Adrian Shine, who's joining the hunt from the Loch Ness Project, said last year that people still hope the "monster" is real because, "people tend to look for something bigger than themselves ‐ something frightening, something mysterious or something hidden." "So ye get to swab yon gigantic sleekit carnivorous beastie!" The legend of the water creature dates back to a seventh century story about St. Columba who allegedly saved a man from the beast by ordering it to back down. More recently, a 1934 newspaper picture known as "the surgeon's photograph" of a long-necked animal rekindled interest and since then, over 1,000 people have claimed to have spotted it - even though the photo was debunked as a fake in 1994. "Hoot! Here's yer Saint Columba medallion! Get tae work!" Posted by: Fred 2018-05-24 |
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