A scientist from New Zealand has claimed that a simple DNA could finally solve the mystery of ‘Nessie’ the Loch Ness monster.
Professor Neil Gemmell from the University of Otago, will use the forensics test to look for traces of DNA that do not match known animals that already live in the lake.
The existence of the Loch Ness monster has remained an intriguing mystery since the Daily Mail originally published a picture of the elusive ‘Nessie’ back in 1934.
The photo was later revealed as a fake however that did little to stem the explosion of interest that the photo had generated.
Speaking to the Daily Mail however, Professor Gemmell believes that this simple test could finally put an end to the years of speculation.
‘All large organisms lose cells as they move through their environment. New genomic technology is sensitive enough to pick this up and we can use comparisons to databases that span the majority of known living things.’ he explained.
‘If there was anything unusual in the loch these DNA tools would be likely to pick up that evidence.’
Theories surrounding the monster have ranged from it being the last surviving plesiosaurs to it simply being a wels catfish, the largest freshwater fish in Europe.
The Wels can live for decades, possibly even as long as 80 years, the National Geographic reveals. In February twin Italian brothers caught a 9ft long wels catfish in the Po River of northern Italy.
The animal was dubbed “the monster of the Po” by the Italian media, the Telegraph reports.
While a definitive answer is something that has long been sought for, the Mail suggests that locals are unconvinced that the results will have any effect on the interest surrounding the monster.