This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-49495145
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Loch Ness Monster: Scientists to reveal 'plausible' theory | Loch Ness Monster: Scientists to reveal 'plausible' theory |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A team of scientists is to reveal the "plausible theory" they have identified for sightings of Nessie. | |
| Research led by a New Zealand university has sought to catalogue all living life in Loch Ness by analysing DNA collected from water samples. | Research led by a New Zealand university has sought to catalogue all living life in Loch Ness by analysing DNA collected from water samples. |
| Last month, the team said it had a biological explanation for the Loch Ness Monster. | Last month, the team said it had a biological explanation for the Loch Ness Monster. |
| This along with other findings from the study are to be announced at an event in Drumnadrochit later on Thursday. | This along with other findings from the study are to be announced at an event in Drumnadrochit later on Thursday. |
| More than 200 water samples were taken at various depths throughout the loch last year, collecting all forms of environmental DNA (eDNA) for further analysis. | More than 200 water samples were taken at various depths throughout the loch last year, collecting all forms of environmental DNA (eDNA) for further analysis. |
| The eDNA was extracted and sequenced, resulting in about 500 million sequences and these were checked against existing databases. | The eDNA was extracted and sequenced, resulting in about 500 million sequences and these were checked against existing databases. |
| The work led by New Zealand's University of Otago was done to record all current life in Loch Ness, including plants, insects, fish and mammals. | The work led by New Zealand's University of Otago was done to record all current life in Loch Ness, including plants, insects, fish and mammals. |
| The Loch Ness Monster is one of Scotland's oldest and most enduring myths. It inspires books, TV shows and films, and sustains a major tourism industry around its home. | The Loch Ness Monster is one of Scotland's oldest and most enduring myths. It inspires books, TV shows and films, and sustains a major tourism industry around its home. |
| The story of the monster can be traced back 1,500 years when Irish missionary St Columba is said to have encountered a beast in the River Ness in 565AD. | The story of the monster can be traced back 1,500 years when Irish missionary St Columba is said to have encountered a beast in the River Ness in 565AD. |
| Later, in the 1930s, The Inverness Courier reported the first modern sighting of Nessie. | Later, in the 1930s, The Inverness Courier reported the first modern sighting of Nessie. |
| In 1933, the newspaper's Fort Augustus correspondent, Alec Campbell, reported a sighting by Aldie Mackay of what she believed to be Nessie. | In 1933, the newspaper's Fort Augustus correspondent, Alec Campbell, reported a sighting by Aldie Mackay of what she believed to be Nessie. |
| Mr Campbell's report described a whale-like creature and the loch's water "cascading and churning". | Mr Campbell's report described a whale-like creature and the loch's water "cascading and churning". |
| The editor at the time, Evan Barron, suggested the beast be described as a "monster", kick starting the modern myth of the Loch Ness Monster. | The editor at the time, Evan Barron, suggested the beast be described as a "monster", kick starting the modern myth of the Loch Ness Monster. |
| Gary Campbell, keeper of a register of Nessie sightings, receives on average 10 reports a year of something unexplained being spotted in the loch's waters. | Gary Campbell, keeper of a register of Nessie sightings, receives on average 10 reports a year of something unexplained being spotted in the loch's waters. |
| Given that more than 400,000 people visit Loch Ness every year, Mr Campbell said seeing something was "pretty rare". | Given that more than 400,000 people visit Loch Ness every year, Mr Campbell said seeing something was "pretty rare". |
| But he has long believed that eventually science will reveal a cause for the sightings. | But he has long believed that eventually science will reveal a cause for the sightings. |
| Explanations for the monster offered in the past include it being swimming circus elephants. | Explanations for the monster offered in the past include it being swimming circus elephants. |
| In his research of Nessie, Glasgow-based palaeontologist Neil Clark found fairs and circuses were a common occurrence in the Inverness area, particularly from the early 1930s. | In his research of Nessie, Glasgow-based palaeontologist Neil Clark found fairs and circuses were a common occurrence in the Inverness area, particularly from the early 1930s. |
| He said elephants may have been allowed to swim in the loch while the travelling carnivals stopped to give the animals a rest. | He said elephants may have been allowed to swim in the loch while the travelling carnivals stopped to give the animals a rest. |
| Another theory is that large fallen branches floating in the loch are the cause of monster sightings, | Another theory is that large fallen branches floating in the loch are the cause of monster sightings, |