Hugh Grey was riding his motorcycle past Loch Ness at night. In the darkness, he struck something and was thrown to the ground. He looked back to see a huge, flippered creature retreating into the water.

A blurry snapshot, captured by Grey on that day in 1934, was published on the front page of the Scottish Daily Record. Soon, an official search party was launched. Nessie-mania had begun.

Scientists from New Zealand say they may have the answer to the Loch Ness mystery. The researchers took DNADeoxyribonucleic acid is the material in an organism that carries genetic information. from 250 water samples from the Scottish loch, hoping to learn exactly what creatures might stir within its waters.

They found a lot of eel DNA.

"The sheer quantity of the material says that we can't discount the possibility that there may be giant eels in Loch Ness," said Professor Neil Gemmell, who led the research. The slender giant moray eel can grow 13-feet long.

At 23-miles wide and 226-metres deep, Loch Ness contains more water than all other English and Scottish lakes put together. But its waters are so murky you can only see through a couple of feet.

Grey's account was one of a flurry of sightings in the 1930s, which drew Nessie to international attention. Yet legends of a great Scottish monster have existed for centuriesHundreds of years..

Sightings have never died down. Already this year, there have been four separate encounters.

Many theories exist: it could be a sea dinosaur called a plesiosaur; a wandering Greenland shark; or even swimming elephants. Last month, one Scottish paranormal investigator ponderedThink about something carefully and reflectively. if the monster may live in a parallel universe.

Some psychologists say the story fulfils a human need to reach beyond the dullness of ordinary life. In other parts of the world there is the yeti and the giant anaconda.

These mythical creatures - also said to represent our human fear of the untameable, natural world - are known as cryptids.

We long for a time of explorers, when the world was full of mystery. We want to believe that monsters could exist.

Or perhaps, these beasts reflect the hidden monsters in our minds. As we go through life, we feel that there are unseen forces at work that are not reflected in our mundaneOrdinary. It originally referred to something that belonged to Earth rather than heaven. reality.

Indeed, it is fitting that Nessie might be a giant serpent: subtle and shape-shifting, always slipping away.

Yes: The vast majority of monster sightings are proven fakes and hoaxes. We should not lose sight of common sense - Nessie is more likely a reflection in the water or an eel than a huge beast.

No: Believing in myths and legends is part of being human - we all have a desire within us for mystery and excitement beyond the everyday world. Moreover, for all we know, Nessie could actually exist.

Or... It may not be entirely rational, but it is simply more fun to search for beasts than to sit back and dismiss them. And it is good for business too - Nessie is worth £41m a year to Scotland's economy.