DNA... Discovering if Nessie’s Alive
FOR almost a century it has been an enduring legend, despite a lack of hard evidence to prove its existence.
Now the mystery of the Loch Ness Monster could soon be solved – thanks to a new investigation making use of state-of-the art DNA technology.
Since 1933, frequent sightings of a large creature in the loch have been the subject of worldwide fascination and debate, with enthusiasts taking to the waters to try to find the creature using sonar.
Now a group of scientists hopes to establish definitively whether or not the monster lurks beneath the loch’s surface by testing the water for traces of its DNA.
‘If we see sequences in our water samples that are suggestive of a reptilian animal, we can explore that further,’ said lead researcher Professor Neil Gemmell, from Otago University in New Zealand. ‘I suspect we will find no monsters – but will have a lot of fun explaining the process as we go along.’
A team of scientists from the UK, Denmark, US, Australia and France will be using groundbreaking environmental technology which has the power to detect the DNA signatures of creatures from tiny cells in the water.
Professor Gemmell explained: ‘Whenever a creature moves through its environment, it leaves behind tiny fragments of DNA from its skin, scales, feathers, fur, faeces and urine.
‘This DNA can be captured, sequenced and then used to identify that creature by comparing the sequence obtained to large databases of known genetic sequences from tens of thousands of different organisms – if an exact match can’t be found, we can generally figure out where on the tree of life that sequence fits.’
The information gathered will form part of a detailed list of all creatures living in Loch Ness and determine any differences from other lochs.
The technology has been used extensively off the coast of New Zealand, where it has been able to track rare species of sharks and the migration patterns of whales.
Professor Gemmell revealed that he was persuaded by his children to go through with the research at Loch Ness.
He added: ‘I could have said that was just a bit of a silly idea, but they thought it was the best thing Dad had ever done. I thought, “Why not do this?”’
The Loch Ness study will take place over the course of a fortnight later this year.