Mummified Mermaid To Be Reunited With Her Merman

Researchers at Lincoln University have been working to establish the origins of the Buxton Mermaid, a fake mummified mermaid, thought to date back to the mid-19th century.
Anita Hollinshead, 43, a conservation and restoration Masters student studying with the university, came across the object while working at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery and decided to dig deeper into the history of the object.
Tests carried out at the university have established that no human bones were used to make the object, despite the head's skull-like appearance.

But the hair on the object, which is 14.5in (37cm) high and 6.7in (17cm) wide, is human and researchers have discovered the tail is from a real fish.
Fishermen from Japan and the Far East sold the objects as mummified mermaids to supplement their income.
They were usually bought by sailors as good luck charms or by collectors who would display them in cabinets of curiosities or at side-shows.
"It really does look like a mummified mermaid," Ms Hollinshead said.
"A lot of skill has gone into making it and whoever put it together really thought about what materials to use to make it look real.
"It's made from wood and wire and a protein coating has been used to made it look like skin and fish like."
Further tests have discovered the teeth were carved from bone while the eyes are thought to be made from mollusc shell.