Loch Ness monster watchers don't see humps
The legendary Scottish beast is often shown swimming above the surface of the water with three humps on display but new findings show that the monster's undulating features are rarely described in reports by those who claim to have seen Nessie.
Research conducted by the University of St Andrews and the Loch Ness Centre revealed that just 1.5 per cent of people who say they have seen the creature over the past century have stated that it has humps in their description.
The experts also found that between 25 and 32 per cent of postcards showed the monster with visible humps behind her head and neck.
They also portrayed Nessie with clear distance between her body and the water's surface, something that researchers say is "biologically impossible".
Dr. Charles Paxton, an expert at the University of St Andrews, said: "Scholars often assume that monsters are generated by cultural expectations, but it is always useful to test obvious hypotheses.
"In the case it really seems that witnesses do not generally report the impossible, even though the hooped monster is a common portrayal of Nessie."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
38 minutes ago
- The Age
Students corral an unwelcome examination
'I went to an agricultural college in the 1960s,' writes John Lees of Castlecrag. 'In those days, AI (C8) meant artificial insemination. Once, the teacher brought the AI kit into the classroom and placed its components on his desk. He then asked the class 'any volunteers?'' Chris Gow of Austinmer tops the dunce cap (C8) discussion with a bit of history in suggesting 'we should remember the term's origin: Named after Duns Scotus, a 13th century Scottish theologian (probably born in Duns, Scotland) who was considered to be among the very finest minds of his era. His 'proof' of the existence of God was so complex that eventually studying his work was considered the act of a time-wasting fool – hence Dunce.' Another Globite (C8) case. Helen Scanlon of Northbridge recalls that 'In the 1940s, we students of Fort St Girls' High used to travel to school by the Lilyfield toast rack trams. When 10 students managed a whole compartment to themselves, the 10 Globite cases on laps formed a good table for card games.' Barry Lamb of Eastwood found another use: 'Once you had placed your case in line in order of arrival at the bus stop (or slid it from a distance along the footpath), you could go and play. When the bus appeared, you raced back to your bag which had 'kept' your place in the queue.' Some memories are less kind: 'If you were labelled a Globite, it meant (derogatorily) you were a mental case,' advises Bob Hall of Wyoming. 'I, too, had a Globite in the late 1960s but changed that for a briefcase when I started training as a survey draftsman when I left school,' recalls Brian Burgess of Floraville. 'I used to carry my protractor, set squares and log tables in it. They lasted for years and I remember a workmate in the 2000s still carrying one to work that weighed about 5kg. Anyone out there still using a briefcase?' Allan Gibson of Cherrybrook notes that 'the interchangeability of the school case or port has some links to the Gladstone bag (C8), itself being a Portmanteau, the latter when shortened in the context of baggage is port.' John Brown of Kianga has more on the aviation/golf (C8) accord: 'At one of the holes at the Nullabor Links golf course, there is a sign warning golfers that this is an 'active runway'.' 'I read once of an incident over a golf course in the UK, with the RAAF reporting 'all our aircraft returned safely to base, but one of their golf balls is missing',' says John Dawson of North Parramatta.
Sydney Morning Herald
38 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Students corral an unwelcome examination
'I went to an agricultural college in the 1960s,' writes John Lees of Castlecrag. 'In those days, AI (C8) meant artificial insemination. Once, the teacher brought the AI kit into the classroom and placed its components on his desk. He then asked the class 'any volunteers?'' Chris Gow of Austinmer tops the dunce cap (C8) discussion with a bit of history in suggesting 'we should remember the term's origin: Named after Duns Scotus, a 13th century Scottish theologian (probably born in Duns, Scotland) who was considered to be among the very finest minds of his era. His 'proof' of the existence of God was so complex that eventually studying his work was considered the act of a time-wasting fool – hence Dunce.' Another Globite (C8) case. Helen Scanlon of Northbridge recalls that 'In the 1940s, we students of Fort St Girls' High used to travel to school by the Lilyfield toast rack trams. When 10 students managed a whole compartment to themselves, the 10 Globite cases on laps formed a good table for card games.' Barry Lamb of Eastwood found another use: 'Once you had placed your case in line in order of arrival at the bus stop (or slid it from a distance along the footpath), you could go and play. When the bus appeared, you raced back to your bag which had 'kept' your place in the queue.' Some memories are less kind: 'If you were labelled a Globite, it meant (derogatorily) you were a mental case,' advises Bob Hall of Wyoming. 'I, too, had a Globite in the late 1960s but changed that for a briefcase when I started training as a survey draftsman when I left school,' recalls Brian Burgess of Floraville. 'I used to carry my protractor, set squares and log tables in it. They lasted for years and I remember a workmate in the 2000s still carrying one to work that weighed about 5kg. Anyone out there still using a briefcase?' Allan Gibson of Cherrybrook notes that 'the interchangeability of the school case or port has some links to the Gladstone bag (C8), itself being a Portmanteau, the latter when shortened in the context of baggage is port.' John Brown of Kianga has more on the aviation/golf (C8) accord: 'At one of the holes at the Nullabor Links golf course, there is a sign warning golfers that this is an 'active runway'.' 'I read once of an incident over a golf course in the UK, with the RAAF reporting 'all our aircraft returned safely to base, but one of their golf balls is missing',' says John Dawson of North Parramatta.
The Advertiser
05-08-2025
- The Advertiser
UK grants space launch licence to Scottish firm
Britain has granted its first space launch licence to a homegrown rocket company, paving the way for a Scottish start-up to send satellites into space from the UK's first vertical launch spaceport. Skyrora, which was founded in 2017, would be able to conduct up to 16 launches a year, subject to further approval by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the regulator said. The Scotland-based company would use the SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands, northern Scotland, which received a key safety licence last year, meaning rockets could be launched from the site in the future. However, SaxaVord has told Skyrora that there is no availability for a launch in 2025, the Financial Times reported. Skyrora chief executive Volodymyr Levykin said in a statement the firm's priority was to launch from Britain but it expected a delay. "Despite having a vehicle ready and a launch license, it is unlikely that Skyrora will be able to complete its launch from the UK this year," Levykin said. He said the company had options to launch from Australia, Oman and potentially Iceland. "Granting a home-grown company, Skyrora its launch licence is a major milestone for our space sector and our nation," CAA chief executive Rob Bishton said. The space market is forecast to be worth over $US1 trillion by 2030 as companies around the world plan to deploy thousands of internet-beaming satellites. Britain has been looking to add launch capabilities to its space industry, which employs over 45,000 people and builds more satellites than anywhere outside the United States. But those efforts were dealt a major blow in early 2023 when a horizontal rocket launch from Newquay, southwest England, failed. A successful vertical launch from SaxaVord would revive the industry's prospects. Skyrora needs to meet a number of conditions before any launch, including adequate insurance, a data-sharing deal with the British government and airspace agreements with other countries. Britain has granted its first space launch licence to a homegrown rocket company, paving the way for a Scottish start-up to send satellites into space from the UK's first vertical launch spaceport. Skyrora, which was founded in 2017, would be able to conduct up to 16 launches a year, subject to further approval by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the regulator said. The Scotland-based company would use the SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands, northern Scotland, which received a key safety licence last year, meaning rockets could be launched from the site in the future. However, SaxaVord has told Skyrora that there is no availability for a launch in 2025, the Financial Times reported. Skyrora chief executive Volodymyr Levykin said in a statement the firm's priority was to launch from Britain but it expected a delay. "Despite having a vehicle ready and a launch license, it is unlikely that Skyrora will be able to complete its launch from the UK this year," Levykin said. He said the company had options to launch from Australia, Oman and potentially Iceland. "Granting a home-grown company, Skyrora its launch licence is a major milestone for our space sector and our nation," CAA chief executive Rob Bishton said. The space market is forecast to be worth over $US1 trillion by 2030 as companies around the world plan to deploy thousands of internet-beaming satellites. Britain has been looking to add launch capabilities to its space industry, which employs over 45,000 people and builds more satellites than anywhere outside the United States. But those efforts were dealt a major blow in early 2023 when a horizontal rocket launch from Newquay, southwest England, failed. A successful vertical launch from SaxaVord would revive the industry's prospects. Skyrora needs to meet a number of conditions before any launch, including adequate insurance, a data-sharing deal with the British government and airspace agreements with other countries. Britain has granted its first space launch licence to a homegrown rocket company, paving the way for a Scottish start-up to send satellites into space from the UK's first vertical launch spaceport. Skyrora, which was founded in 2017, would be able to conduct up to 16 launches a year, subject to further approval by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the regulator said. The Scotland-based company would use the SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands, northern Scotland, which received a key safety licence last year, meaning rockets could be launched from the site in the future. However, SaxaVord has told Skyrora that there is no availability for a launch in 2025, the Financial Times reported. Skyrora chief executive Volodymyr Levykin said in a statement the firm's priority was to launch from Britain but it expected a delay. "Despite having a vehicle ready and a launch license, it is unlikely that Skyrora will be able to complete its launch from the UK this year," Levykin said. He said the company had options to launch from Australia, Oman and potentially Iceland. "Granting a home-grown company, Skyrora its launch licence is a major milestone for our space sector and our nation," CAA chief executive Rob Bishton said. The space market is forecast to be worth over $US1 trillion by 2030 as companies around the world plan to deploy thousands of internet-beaming satellites. Britain has been looking to add launch capabilities to its space industry, which employs over 45,000 people and builds more satellites than anywhere outside the United States. But those efforts were dealt a major blow in early 2023 when a horizontal rocket launch from Newquay, southwest England, failed. A successful vertical launch from SaxaVord would revive the industry's prospects. Skyrora needs to meet a number of conditions before any launch, including adequate insurance, a data-sharing deal with the British government and airspace agreements with other countries. Britain has granted its first space launch licence to a homegrown rocket company, paving the way for a Scottish start-up to send satellites into space from the UK's first vertical launch spaceport. Skyrora, which was founded in 2017, would be able to conduct up to 16 launches a year, subject to further approval by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the regulator said. The Scotland-based company would use the SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands, northern Scotland, which received a key safety licence last year, meaning rockets could be launched from the site in the future. However, SaxaVord has told Skyrora that there is no availability for a launch in 2025, the Financial Times reported. Skyrora chief executive Volodymyr Levykin said in a statement the firm's priority was to launch from Britain but it expected a delay. "Despite having a vehicle ready and a launch license, it is unlikely that Skyrora will be able to complete its launch from the UK this year," Levykin said. He said the company had options to launch from Australia, Oman and potentially Iceland. "Granting a home-grown company, Skyrora its launch licence is a major milestone for our space sector and our nation," CAA chief executive Rob Bishton said. The space market is forecast to be worth over $US1 trillion by 2030 as companies around the world plan to deploy thousands of internet-beaming satellites. Britain has been looking to add launch capabilities to its space industry, which employs over 45,000 people and builds more satellites than anywhere outside the United States. But those efforts were dealt a major blow in early 2023 when a horizontal rocket launch from Newquay, southwest England, failed. A successful vertical launch from SaxaVord would revive the industry's prospects. Skyrora needs to meet a number of conditions before any launch, including adequate insurance, a data-sharing deal with the British government and airspace agreements with other countries.
