IFLScience Investigates The Loch Ness Monster: A Round-Up Of Our Spooky Season Nessie Deep Dive

This month, we’ve been diving into one of the world’s most famous mysteries: the Loch Ness Monster. From its 1930s media debut to AI-generated “cryptids” reshaping modern folklore, we’re exploring how technology and storytelling keep legends like Nessie alive. And in our new documentary, we head to Loch Ness ourselves, speaking to experts, monster hunters, and those who have "seen" the creature to find out what's really going on there.

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Monster Hoaxes In The Age Of AI: Seeing Isn’t Believing Anymore

In 1933, the Loch Ness Monster went from local legend to global phenomenon thanks to grainy photos and eager newspapers. Nearly a century later, the tools have changed but the impulse hasn’t. As AI blurs the line between real and fake, new “digital cryptids” like Loab and Crungus are surfacing online – uncanny creations born from algorithms, not lochs. Much like Nessie, they reveal less about hidden creatures and more about our fascination with mystery, hoaxes, and how easily we’re willing to believe. Read the full story here

What Is Cryptozoology? We Explore The History And Mystery Of This Controversial Field

Cryptozoology sits at the strange crossroads of folklore and science, where eyewitness accounts and cultural myths clash with empirical evidence. From Bigfoot to the Loch Ness Monster, these so-called cryptids have never been scientifically verified – yet they persist in the public imagination. While history has shown that “mythical” creatures like the giant squid and okapi were once dismissed before being credibly proven to exist, experts argue that modern cryptid hunting reveals more about human belief and our fascination with the unknown than it does about undiscovered species. Read the full story here

What's Really Lurking In The Deep Dark Waters Of Loch Ness?

Mention the Loch Ness Monster and you’ll get a flurry of theories: ancient reptiles, giant eels, even rogue seals. With over a thousand reported sightings and a landscape steeped in mystery, Loch Ness has become a global magnet for speculation. But what exactly are people seeing in those cold, dark waters – a genuine unknown species or something far more ordinary disguised by myth, memory, and a trick of the light? Modern DNA surveys, strange wave phenomena, and the loch’s unique ecology might hold the answer – just not the one many Nessie hunters are hoping for. Read the full story here

The History Of The Loch Ness Monster – And The Theories On What It Could Have Been

For a monster with no confirmed existence, Nessie has made quite a name for herself. From a supposed river-beast encounter in the sixth century to 1930s sightings that sparked global fascination, the Loch Ness Monster has lingered in public imagination despite hoaxes and failed hunts. Explanations range from prehistoric reptiles to misidentified wildlife, and modern DNA surveys have eliminated most suspects – except one intriguing possibility. So, if there’s no ancient beast in Loch Ness... what exactly are people seeing? Read the full story here

IFLScience Investigates The Loch Ness Monster: A Documentary On The Science, Story, And Power Of Belief

Although it’s been nearly 100 years since Nessie was first brought to international attention, no one has provided any unambiguous proof of its existence, and yet every year, thousands of people flock to Scotland in hopes of seeing it. Join the IFLScience Investigates team as we travel to Loch Ness to dig into the story’s origins, question local monster hunters, interview experts, and explore the science carried out in the loch’s murky depths. Did we find Nessie? You’ll have to watch to find out. Read the full story here