SCIENCE BE FOOLED: THE PILTDOWN HOAX

The Piltdown Man

The Piltdown Man came during a time when scientists were desperate to find the missing link in the theory of evolution. After Charles Darwin published the origin of species in 1859, the race was on to search for evidence that would uncover the ancient ancestor that linked apes to humans. There were many sensational findings in Germany and France of ancestral fossils  that we've come to know as Neanderthals. However, British Scientists, were desperate to prove that Britain were also an integral part in the story of evolution, and the "proof" they needed came from the Piltdown Man which gave British Scientists the right to claim Britain as the birthplace of mankind.

The Piltdown fossils were found by Charles Dawson in Sussex, and he passed on his findings to Sir Arthur Smith Woodward. Dawson went on to claim that before 1910, he was handed a dark stained and thick piece of human skull by a workman during the excavation process. After closer inspection and recognizing that it might be part of an ancient human, he continued to dig until he found and collected more pieces of skull.

He corresponded with Woodward in February of 1912 informing him of his exciting discoveries where Woodward made the trip to join him in excavating additional findings at Piltdown. It was there that both found additional fragments of the supposed human skull as well as the bones of ancient animals, primitive stone tools and an ape like jaw.

After these discoveries, Woodward proceeded to construct a skull that was supposedly the missing link of evolution between humans and apes. Being that it was determined that the brain size was the same as that of modern humans, yet possessing an ape-like jaw, the Piltdown Man was born

The Piltdown Skeptics

Although Woodwards discoveries seemed exciting, not everyone was buying into the validity of his findings. Some scientific experts overseas voiced their skepticism as they didn't believe that the skull and jaw were a match. There were arguments from scientists who asserted that the fossils looked more like a mix of human and ape fossils and weren't even the same species. However, Dawson and Woodward found a canine tooth in 1913 that they claimed was additional evidence proving the link.The canine tooth was of medium size and looked a cross between an ape's and a human's tooth. To Woodward, this was confirmation that the jaw was not from an ape but an ape man creature. Dawson also claimed to have found a molar tooth and several pieces of skull not far from the original Piltdown site. They looked similar to the Piltdown man and was subsequently named the Piltdown Man II. With two supposed ancestral findings along with an endorsement from the Natural History Museum, the Piltdown Man was accepted by most scientists as the missing link between man and apes. 

The Hoax Exposed

Although the Piltdown man was generally accepted throughout the scientific community for a time, it came into question once gain in the late 1940's as new technology for dating fossils was developed. Dr. Kenneth Oakley from the Natural History Museum tested the Piltdown fossils in 1949 and concluded through his findings that the neither the skull nor jaw were as ancient as originally thought. In order to gather more evidence to prove their findings, Dr. Oakley worked with Professor Joe Weiner and Sir Wilfrid Le Gros Clark from Oxford to conduct further extensive testing of the Piltdown remains. They found that the human wear on the teeth was created artificially using a file and was done on an orang-utan jaw. In addition, the thick boned human skull was from a more recent time than originally stated. What was more surprising was that the skull was found to have been boiled and stained to give the antiquated look on the Piltdown gravels. This is not to say that all the mammal fossils weren't genuine however, it was clear that they were purposefully planted.

The news broke of the Piltdown Hoax on November 21st 1953. The headlines created much embarrassment for The Natural History Museum inspiring Weiner and Oakley to proceed in trying to expose the one responsible for the hoax.

Scientists are Human

The scientific community is a very competitive field where one's legacy is predicated upon revolutionary theories and discoveries. Like any human who is ambitious and looking to leave their mark on society, groundbreaking scientific discoveries are what last the test of time and could make the name of the discovering scientist remembered for centuries. With this being said, although the Piltdown Man was proven to be a hoax, the individual who created the hoax is still a mystery. However, the fact that many in the scientific community were actively searching for the missing link between humans and apes, it's not surprising that a scientist or scientists felt that they had found an opportune moment to make their name in the history books by deceiving the scientific world. It is reprehensible for sure however, the scientific community can be quite competitive and filled with massive ego's so it's no wonder someone would go to this extreme to fool the scientific community.

The Process of Discovering the Fraud

The process in which scientists discovered the Piltdown hoax was using scientific objection and diligently testing the original hypothesis with the help of new emerging technologies such as new fluorine testing, and new fossil discoveries being examined using advanced microscopes. These new tools helped to provide the clues to eventually determine the truth. The Fluorine tests were a key component in helping scientists test the natural level of fluorine in the fossils which in turn allowed them to calculate the real date of the fossils.

Science and The Human Factor

There really is no way to remove the "human" factor from science unless you replace human scientists with artificial intelligence. What I do believe is that with the continuous advancement of technology, it significantly help in lessening human error, the chances of future hoaxes and it provides more advanced means to conduct extensive testing to discern fact from fiction.  However human error is still always a possibility.

Lesson Learned?

I've never been one to take anything for face value however, being that I don't have a high aptitude for science; I would probably be inclined to buy into a lot of what I read in regards to scientific discoveries. This would be a huge mistake on my part and it has become clear that I need to further educate myself by continuing to research and question anything that either doesn't seem logical or that I don't truly understand. Regardless, we should never allow others to think for us but we should keep our minds open that what could be determined as fact or fiction today could be proven otherwise tomorrow.