The supposed 300-year-old mummified "mermaid" that was worshipped in Japan–world history and facts
The supposed 300-year-old mummified "mermaid" that was worshipped in Japan for its immortality-giving powers has been exposed as a fabrication made from cloth, paper, cotton, and fish parts. The artifact was allegedly caught off the Japanese island of Shikoku between 1736 and 1741 and is now kept at the Enjuin temple in Asakuchi. Scientists sent the relic for various analyses including CT scanning, radiocarbon dating, DNA analysis, and fluorescent X-ray analysis, among others. The results revealed that the mummy was manufactured, likely created to cash in on the Japanese fascination with mermaids. The mermaid mummy's hair is mammalian in origin, while the nails were made from animal keratin, and the jaws were taken from an unknown carnivorous fish. The upper body, meanwhile, was mostly made from cloth, paper, and cotton, with pufferfish skin used on the arms, shoulders, neck, and cheeks. No internal skeleton was detected, but there were metal needles in t