The Loch Ness Monster has been a cultural figure of mystery and surrealness for decades. Ever since its first major "sighting" in the 1930's, it's gained worldwide recognition, as well as brought healthy tourism to Scotland. However, the reality might be much more boring.
The 1934 photo purported to be of the Loch Ness Monster
A new study led by New Zealand's University of Otago sought to unravel the mystery of "Nessie" and what she really is. And they claim to have a "plausible" theory. Nessie wasn't a Jurassic reptile that didn't go extinct, or a heretofore unknown sea monster. They say it might just be a giant eel.
The first sighting of Nessie was reported in the River Ness back in 565AD. Since then, there have been repeated sightings in the modern era, enough to keep believers continuously coming back to spot her. The most famous of these sightings is a grainy photo from 1934 that supposedly shows her head and neck peeking above water.
But the scientists here were in search of better evidence than a few blurry photos. Instead, they set about gathering environmental DNA (e-DNA) from various parts of Loch Ness. This is DNA from cells of creatures living in the lake that have sloughed off and been deposited in the water over long periods of time. With this data, the scientists could identify what species live in the lake without ever having to see or capture them.
The team took over 200 one-liter samples of water from throughout the loch - from both the surface and the depths. They then compared these samples with those from 36 other lakes in the vicinity that have remained "monster-free".
That e-DNA showed the researchers over 500 million individual organisms that have called the lake home over the years, and 3,000 species. There were no matches for shark, catfish, or sturgeon, according to lead researcher Neil Gemmell, which rules out large exotic fish. And there were the expected land species that would visit the water like deer, rabbits, birds, and more, not to mention humans. It was proof enough the method is pretty accurate at detecting life in the lake, even from a long time ago.?
Now, one of the most popular theories is that Nessie is a plesiosaur that survived the dinosaur extinction event 65 million years ago. However, not only did Gemmel say there was no DNA related to the ancient creature, there wasn't any vertebrate reptile at all.
The most likely answer then is that Nessie is really just a giant eel, a theory that's been gaining traction lately. Part of this is because the researchers say they found eel DNA at "pretty much every location sampled" in Loch Ness.
It's not necessarily a bulletproof confirmation. Just because there's a lot of eel DNA doesn't mean the Loch Ness Monster is a giant eel. But that coupled with the lack of any unusual DNA at all indicates it's a strong possibility.
So why do people keep insisting they've seen Nessie? Well that might be because of something called "expectant attention". It's a type of confirmation bias where people misinterpret visual cues and think they look like the ones they're expecting, even if they're not.?
For instance, if you think someone is mad at you when they look at you, you might think you see anger in their eyes, when really they're just staring into the distance. It's why people keep seeing Elvis everywhere, despite him being dead for decades now.
Still, at the very least true believers can still point to the lack of absolute confidence in this study to say that it's not for certain. And hey, if it gives you a kick, it's much less harmful than so many other conspiracy theories out there.