Edinburgh, Scotland

There have been a lot of conspiracy theories about the mythical Loch Ness monster. These conspiracy theories have time and again inspired researchers to go on a mission and find if actually, any such monsters exist.

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According to the Scottish folklore which dates back to the 19th century, the creature inhabits Loch Ness which is a large freshwater in the Scottish Highlands.

With an aim to find if this folklore had any truth, a team of experts set out on a mission to Loch Ness and discovered that actually there might be “mini-monsters” and not bigger creatures lurking in the loch.

How scientists found 'mini-monsters' in Loch Ness?

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The new study was carried out by experts from the University of Aberdeen who dropped a holographic camera into the loch, something which was never done before.

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The device used is called a weeHoloCam which has the potential to capture digital holographic images in which microscopic organisms can be seen and the images can be later produced using artificial intelligence.

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What are new ‘mini-monsters’ found in Scotland's waters?

The "mini-monsters" are magnified plankton particles, which can help understand the make-up of the loch.

Speaking about the discovery, Dr Thangavel Thevar from the University of Aberdeen’s School of Engineering said, “This was a unique opportunity for us to deploy the weeHoloCam in fresh water, as it has previously only been used in the ocean." 

“We were curious as to what the water quality would be like, especially at lower depths, as we know that too much peat could obstruct the recording path of the instrument. But we lowered the camera to around 200 metres [656 feet] and were able to see lots of interesting particles which, by working with biologists, should be able to give us more information about the biodiversity of Loch Ness," he added. 

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“Mini-monsters” are not what the conspiracy theorists were finding and hence the hunt for the Loch Ness monster is still on.

NASA was also recently asked to give attention to the Scottish Highlands and help the experts in finding the mythical monster.

The Loch Ness Monster has been sighted more than 1,156 times, as per the official sightings registered.

(With inputs from agencies)