Mermaids: Fiction or Fact? Why Did 'Mermaids: The Body Found' Arouse So Much Curiosity?

Mermaids, half human and half fish, have always been a subject of human fascination since time immemorial. When the Discovery Channel aired "Mermaids: The Body Found" on 15 July, it created a frenzy on the internet, with people wondering if the mythical creatures are for real or not.

The programme, earlier aired on Animal Planet, has a scene showing a boy finding a freaky creature on the beach. "What if there's a kernel of truth behind the legend of this mythic creature? Is the idea of mermaids really so far-fetched? Maybe so, maybe not. The show itself, though science fiction, is based on some real events and scientific theory,"said the narrative.

As a result, there was a surge of interest and as the hype for the mythical creature began to increase, the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was froced to put up a notice on its website saying that: "No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found. Why, then, do they occupy the collective unconscious of nearly all seafaring peoples? That's a question best left to historians, philosophers, and anthropologists."

Even though the programme was described as a well-woven fiction, it also told that the idea is based on "real facts."The programme also suggested that our ancestors might have started living in open sea. So the claim that mermaids have human connection becomes more real. The evidence used in the programme was a photo taken from the Washington State boys, which contains images never before seen of a supposed mermaid washed up on a beach. But later on the creature was determined not to be a mermaid, even though alive.

As we follow two scientists on their journey to prove the existence of mermaids, there are a lot of instances where we are forced to believe. But again, the lack of sufficient evidence holds us back.

So we will need to wait more to know if the mermaids are real or not.