The 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.
"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."
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.
"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.
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."
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.
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