Earwax in the canal. Jaw movement assists this process by dislodging debris attached to the walls of the ear canal, increasing the likelihood of its expulsion. The lubrication provided by cerumen prevents desiccation of the skin within the ear canal. The lubricative properties arise from the high lipid content of the sebum produced by the sebaceous glands. In wet-type cerumen, these lipids include cholesterol, squalene, and many long-chain fatty acids and alcohols. While studies conducted up until the 1960s found little evidence supporting antibacterial activity for cerumen, more recent studies have found that cerumen has a bactericidal effect on some strains
Mermaids: The Body Found is an example of what is known as docufiction, in which documentary style and programming elements are combined with fictional - or sometimes less egregiously speculative - science and fiction. This type of programming receives particular criticism when, as in the original broadcast of "Mermaids: The Body Found", there are only a few, easily missed disclaimers to indicate the speculative nature of the programming. On the contrary, the serious tone of the majority of the presentation implied that it was a factual documentary. The first airings of the two "Mermaids" programs apparently fooled millions of people and also drew some