Scientists find ‘plausible evidence’ of Nessie, but won’t tell us what it is yet!

SHE is the possibly mythical Scots monster whose existence has divided opinion for decades.

Yet hordes of believers still scour the waters of Loch Ness every year, desperate for a glimpse of the famous Nessie.

And they could about to be given fresh hope that she really is out there, somewhere in the depths of the water.

For scientists admit that while they have ruled out a lot of so-called evidence, some ‘remains plausible’.

The breakthrough follows close analysis of the water. All life in the loch can be identified from traces of DNA left by inhabitants, such as skin, scales or even urine. Experts took 250 samples of water from various depths and parts of the loch last summer.

About 500million environmental DNA sequences were identified and analysed against known databases, such as reptiles.

The researchers will release their full findings next month. And while they may not have found Nessie, they say they have a biological explanation for the monster. Professor Neil Gemmell, of the University of Otago in New Zealand, has led the team documenting the life in Loch Ness.

He said: ‘There have been over a thousand reported sightings of something in Loch Ness, which have driven this notion of a monster being in the water.

‘From those sightings there are around four main explanations about what has been seen. Our research essentially discounts most of those theories. However, one theory remains plausible.’

Nessie is worth millions to the Scottish economy and continues to lure visitors, spurred on by photographs of sightings.

However, expert Dr Darren Naish admitted defeat in his search for her in June, saying that with so many hi-tech smartphones these days, someone would have taken ‘more and better photos’ if she existed.