Piltdown Hoax-WOW

Piltdown Hoax – In 1912, at an archaeological site in England, an ape’s jaw with a canine tooth worn down like a humans was found.  It supposedly had a human cranium and an apes jaw.  In 1953 more modern techniques uncovered the fact that the claim of the Piltdown Man was a fraud.  In a scientific timeline the skull was considered modern and the teeth on the ape’s jaw had been manually filed down.  Charles Dawson found most of the skill fragments, but he worked with Arthur Smith Woodward and Tielhard de Chardin to make the initial discovery.  When Piltdown Man was found there was some skepticism but the hoax was successfully pulled off with scientists because of nationalism and cultural prejudice.  British scientists wanted to believe that ancient fossils were in fact found in Britain.  The hoax itself was uncovered in 1953 when scientists did tests using, at the time, modern techniques to test the dates of the fossils.  They found the human skull was that of a human from the medieval age and the lower jaw was from an orangutan less than 500 years old.  Microscopic examination revealed that the jaw had been modified and the teeth had been filed down to resemble those of a human. 

Even though many laymen might view scientists as objective and academic, they are still red blooded men and women.  Vanity, narcissism, pride, ego, cultural prejudice, and nationalism all play a part in how men and women act when they are in a high profile or prestigious position.  Charles Dawson and the British Museum would not invite the checks and balances in the scientific community to take place.  Nobody was allowed to examine the evidence as it was presented.  Other scientists were only allowed quick looks at the original or long looks at replicas made of plaster.  Dawson and the British wanted Piltdown Man to be real.  Scientists had already found fossils of primitive humans in France, Germany, and Asia.  The scientific community was dealing with a biased created by, as stated in the Discovery Channel video, jealousy.  The bias and narcissism involved created a generational problem for the scientific community.  Scientists were going down the wrong path and consequently educators were leading the young in the same direction.  It wasn’t until these issues were challenged with an outcome of certainty that scientists became aware that there are people within the scientific community that falsify information for their own benefit. 

As time moved forward many scientists still did not question the findings of Dawson as it pertained to the Piltdown Man.  Some scientists however continued to question the findings involved.  Once the museum allowed the fossils to be examined scientists were able to test the hypothesis set forward by those involved with the original Piltdown findings.  This was done using a new dating technique called flouring absorption tests.  It was at this time the fossils were considered relatively modern.  The molars that were found at Piltdown were micro-examined.   It was found that scratches consistent with man-made abrasives were evident on the molars suggesting they were filed down to look like they were similar to human teeth. 

It will never be possible to totally remove the “human” factor from science.  Human curiosity is what drives science and the desire to know more about more.  Whereas the human factor can sometimes be responsible for the misdirection of findings, teachings, and experimentation, it is also that same human drive for more that drives humans to want to keep going.  The drive to want to be the best or the first in a specific field is what drives human beings to find cures for illnesses they don’t have.  It drives humans to want to help man visit a moon they could never themselves touch.  It is these same factors that encourage greatness and everything that goes with it.  These factors should not be removed but they should be monitored.  The inquisitiveness that helps science move forward should also be employed to keep it moving accurately in the right direction.  The right direction should not be decided by a single person or group.  It should only be driven by facts that have been questioned and tested. 

If nothing else I think we can take away a lesson of humility from the Piltdown Hoax.  A group of human beings, fallible and flawed, presented information as fact to the larger group of people (the scientific community).  No matter how much we want to believe or support any group or any person we should always use logic and our inherent desire to know more to help us derive proper information and opinions.  We should also welcome those questions and tests to help keep us on the proper path in any situation.