Researchers in New Zealand are hinting they might have found proof that the Loch Ness Monster is real.
In a series of cagey quotes that should dampen the hopes of any crypto-crazy folks out there, lead researcher Neil Gemmell from the University of Otago said that they disproved several theories about the monster while possibly proving one.
"Is there anything deeply mysterious? It depends what you believe,” he said. “Is there anything startling? There are a few things that are a bit surprising."
The researchers cataloged the DNA of all of the organisms living in the deep and dark lake, including 15 types of fish, 3,000 microorganisms and possibly one monster.
“What we’ll have achieved is what we set out to do, which is document the biodiversity of Loch Ness in June 2018 in some level of detail," Gemmell said. “We’ve tested each one of the main monster hypotheses and three of them we can probably say aren’t right and one of them might be.”
The Loch Ness Monster has fascinated tourists for hundreds of years, entering another gear when a purported photo of the monster was published in the 1930s. The famous image is largely believed to be an elaborate hoax and further attempts to prove the monster's existence have failed.
Gemmell said that part of the reason the results have yet to be released was a failed attempt to secure a television documentary. While it's highly unlikely that a dinosaur has lived in the lake for eons, hucksters persist in any era.
