The truth is down there: Looking for answers in the Nessie files

S.O.T.T: For the first time, a comprehensive database of all reported sightings of the Loch Ness monster is being complied. The creators of the Nessie Files hope their work will shed light on the hundreds of strange sightings of the mythical creature.

Dr Charles Paxton, an ecologist and statistician at St Andrews University, who is carrying out the project, has so far uncovered around 853 reported encounters with Nessie over the past 80 years.

He will undertake a statistical analysis to see if there are any distinct clusters or patterns which could be explained by natural phenomena, such as a site where unusual waves are frequently formed.The project will be discussed at a conference taking place as part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival, which Paxton has organised to mark the 80th anniversary of the first "modern" sighting of the monster...read more>>>...