A team of scientists hopes to find out more about what really lives in the waters of Loch Ness in Scotland.
Scientists led by New Zealand’s Neil Gemmell from will use DNA sampling techniques to probe the murky waters of the loch; using technology pioneered for the Human Genome Project they will reveal what species live there.
In June, Gemmell and his team will board the Deepscan research vessel, travelling travel the length of the Loch and taking water samples at three different depths.
The process will repeated at nearby Lochs Garry, Oich and Morar to establish a control.
DNA will be extracted from the samples and then sequencing, in partnership with Illumina, will take place in labs in Copenhagen and Grenoble.
The gene sequences will then be analysed and compared to samples stored on international DNA databases to identify which species are present in Loch Ness.