科學家研究了在水中發(fā)現(xiàn)的DNA，發(fā)現(xiàn)尼斯湖水怪可能是巨型鰻魚

科學家研究了在水中發(fā)現(xiàn)的DNA，發(fā)現(xiàn)尼斯湖水怪可能是巨型鰻魚

The legend of the Loch Ness Monster is most likely to have been sparked by sightings of giant eels, scientists say.

科學家說，尼斯湖水怪的傳說，最有可能是因為看到了巨大的鰻魚。

After combing the loch for samples of environmental DNA, they found that it is unlikely that Nessie is the last surviving prehistoric reptile.

在仔細檢查了湖上的環(huán)境DNA樣本后，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)尼斯湖水怪不太可能是幸存的最后一只史前爬行動物。

The research, led by Professor Neil Gemmell from the University of Otago in New Zealand, saw 250 water samples taken from the edges, centre and very depths of Britain's largest body of freshwater by volume.

這項研究由新西蘭奧塔戈大學的尼爾·杰梅爾教授領(lǐng)導，從英國最大淡水體的邊緣、中心和最深處采集了250個水樣。

The DNA from each sample was captured, extracted and sequenced and then compared to global DNA databases in a bid to create a comprehensive picture of life in the loch.

每個樣本的DNA都被采集、提取和測序，然后與全球的DNA數(shù)據(jù)庫進行比較，以期創(chuàng)建一個全面的湖泊生物圖片。

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The findings quickly debunked one of the most popular theories: that the Loch Ness Monster could be a reptile, or population of reptiles, which survived from the time of the dinosaurs, such as a plesiosaur.

這一發(fā)現(xiàn)很快揭穿了一個最流行的理論：尼斯湖水怪可能是一種爬行動物，或者說是爬行動物種群，它們從恐龍時代就存活下來，比如蛇頸龍。

Other theories suggest that Nessie may be a giant catfish, a giant sturgeon, an eel or even a Greenland shark, which can live for up to 500 years.

其他理論認為，尼斯湖可能是一條巨型鯰魚、巨型鱘魚、鰻魚，甚至是一條格陵蘭鯊魚，它們的壽命可以長達500年。

The only possibility not ruled out by the research was that of a giant eel - perhaps explaining Nessie's looped shape in the British imagination.

這項研究不排除的唯一可能是一條巨大的鰻魚——這也許可以解釋為什么尼斯湖水怪會在英國人的想象中是盤旋狀。

Professor Gemmell said: "There is a very significant amount of eel DNA. Eels are very plentiful in Loch Ness, with eel DNA found at pretty much every location sampled - there are a lot of them.

杰梅爾教授說：“鰻魚的DNA含量非常高。尼斯湖中鰻魚非常豐富，幾乎每一個取樣地點都發(fā)現(xiàn)了鰻魚的DNA——鰻魚數(shù)量很多。”

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"So - are they giant eels? Well, our data doesn't reveal their size, but the sheer quantity of the material says that we can't discount the possibility that there may be giant eels in Loch Ness."

“那么——它們是巨型鰻魚嗎?”嗯，我們的數(shù)據(jù)沒有顯示它們的大小，但從材料的數(shù)量來看，我們不能排除尼斯湖可能存在巨型鰻魚的可能性。”

He added: "Divers have claimed that they've seen eels that are as thick as their legs in the loch, whether they're exaggerating or not - I don't know - but there is a possibility that there are very large eels present in the loch.

他補充說：“潛水員聲稱，他們在湖中看到過和腿一樣粗的鰻魚，不管這是不是夸張——我不知道——但有可能湖中有非常大的鰻魚。”

"Whether they are as big as around 4m (13ft) as some of these sightings suggest - well, as a geneticist I think about mutations and natural variation a lot, and while an eel that big would be well outside the normal range, it seems not impossible that something could grow to such unusual size."

“無論它們的大小是否如一些目擊記錄所顯示的4米(13英尺)左右——作為一名遺傳學家，我經(jīng)常會考慮基因突變和自然變異，雖然這么大的鰻魚遠遠超出正常范圍，但似乎不可能有東西長到如此不尋常的大小。”

He said further research was needed to test the theory, but added: "Based on our data, giant eels remain a plausible idea."

他說，還需要進一步的研究來驗證這一理論，但他補充說：“根據(jù)我們的數(shù)據(jù)，巨型鰻魚仍然是一個合理的想法。”

Another finding from the research was the high levels of DNA from land-based species in the loch, including humans, dogs and farm animals such as sheep and cattle.

這項研究的另一項發(fā)現(xiàn)是，湖中陸地物種的DNA含量很高，包括人類、狗和綿羊、牛等農(nóng)場動物。

DNA from wild animals such as deer, badgers, foxes, rabbits, voles and multiple bird species was also found.

還發(fā)現(xiàn)了鹿、獾、狐貍、兔子、田鼠和多種鳥類等野生動物的DNA。

Dr Gemmell said: "These findings indicate (environmental) DNA surveys of major waterways may be useful for rapidly surveying biological diversity at a regional level."

Gemmell博士說：“這些發(fā)現(xiàn)表明，主要水道的(環(huán)境)DNA調(diào)查，可能有助于在區(qū)域一級快速調(diào)查生物多樣性。”

A documentary about the hunt for Nessie's DNA is due to air on the Discovery Channel on September 15.

一部關(guān)于尋找尼斯湖水怪DNA的紀錄片將于9月15日在探索頻道播出。