The Scottish Mystery Revealed
Scientists now have some idea of where the enduring belief in the “Loch Ness Monster” comes from. Dr. Charles Paxton, a statistician at St. Andrews in Scotland, says the belief that a long-necked dinosaur is living in the lake in Scotland probably dates to the discovery of actual dinosaur fossils in the area.
“A new study suggests the legend of the Loch Ness monster and other long-necked ‘sea monsters’ may have been influenced by something very real and even more terrifying — dinosaurs,” Fox News reports.
The legend of the Loch Ness monster has existed since at least the early 1800s, Dr. Paxton found. But back then, only 10 percent of reported sightings described the creature as having a long neck. After 1933–when fossils of long-necked marine dinosaurs were discovered in the same region of Scotland–the number of reports describing “Nessie” as having a long neck jumped to 50 percent.
Therefore, Paxton concluded, people’s imaginations were simply influenced by the discovery of the actual fossils. They started believing they were seeing a creature that matched the description of real dinosaurs that once lived in the waters of Scotland.
“The discovery of long-necked marine reptile fossils in the 19th century does appear to have had an influence on what people believe they have spotted in the water,” Paxton concluded. “‘The problem is an interesting fusion of history and paleontology which shows that statistics can be used to rigorously test all sorts of strange hypotheses if the data is handled in the right way.’
-
Probe Raises Questions About PSG’s 2017 Deal and Political Involvement. French authorities have launched an investigation into allegations...
-
Cabinet decision shifts frozen tax funds away from Hamas-run Gaza, utilizing Norway as an intermediary. Israel’s cabinet has given...
-
Newly Released Footage Reveals Arrest at Miami Airport Newly released body camera footage reveals the arrest of 73-year-old Donna...
-
Russian Foreign Minister Asserts Moscow’s Stance on Nuclear Arms Control Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced today that Russia...
-
Cross-Border Clashes Escalate Between Pakistan and Iran In a significant escalation of hostilities, Pakistan and Iran have exchanged military...
-
UN Mission Aircraft Taken by Militants After Technical Issue In a concerning development, the al-Qaeda-affiliated group al-Shabab has reportedly...
-
As scrutiny intensifies, Fujitsu faces repercussions for its role in the Post Office scandal. The UK government has issued...
-
Parker Solar Probe to achieve record-breaking proximity to the sun, providing unprecedented insights into solar processes. Since its launch...
-
Pakistan’s Election Commission rejects Imran Khan’s Nominations Pakistan’s Election Commission has rejected former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s nomination to...
-
Residents Urged to Evacuate as Japan Faces Significant Tsunami Threat Following Powerful Quake In the wake of a powerful...
-
Experts to Reveal Latest Assessment of Global Threats The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a nonprofit organization founded in...
-
Summit Focuses on Aid for Ukraine as Internal Divisions Threaten Unified Action European heads of state are set to...