Piltdown Hoax

     The Piltdown man was found as bone fragments of parts of a skull and jawbone. It was thought to have been fossilized remains of early human bones. This discovery was discovered in 1912 in East Sussex, England. Charles Dawson, who was an amateur archaeologist, claimed to have discovered ancient bone fragments in the Piltdown gravel pit. He presented his findings to Arthur Smith Woodward who was the keeper at the British Museum. Both men went back to the discovery site and found the remaining bone fragments of parts of the skull and half of the lower jawbone. The jawbone looked similar to that of a chimpanzee but had two human-like molars. Woodward believed that the Piltdown man was the missing link between ape and men. In 1953, it was discovered that the Piltdown man was a forgery and that the jawbone was that of an orangutan. The teeth were filed down to make it look more human and the skull was not that of an early human but was a skull of a fully developed modern human.
     In the early 1900's, scientists did not have access to scientific tools that could tell apart a forgery from an authentic ancient bone fragment. The bones of the Piltdown man was heavily guarded and only few were able to have access to see the bones. Many believed in the discovery of the Piltdown man because the forgery provided enough evidence that it belonged to that of ancient humans. Also, British scientists did not doubt the findings and instead was satisfied that it was the first skeletal findings of early humans in Europe. The bone fragments of the Piltdown man should have had more detailed research to make sure it was authentic. Due to these faults, the scientific community has wasted more than 40 years on this forgery. The Piltdown man has resulted in many years of research into something that has never existed. There have been countless people trying to find bone fragments that had never existed in the first place. This hoax has wasted years of the development of human evolution which has had a profound negative impact on the scientific community.
     The Piltdown man hoax was revealed when dating techniques, like the fluorine absorption test was invented. The fluorine absorption dating test is used to determine the amount of time an object, such as bones, has been buried. Through this dating technique, scientists realized the Piltdown man has been a forgery. Groundwater contains fluoride ions which bones will absorb when buried for long periods of time. From observing the amount of fluoride in the bones, one can determine the estimated time the bones have been underground. Dr. Kenneth Oakley of the British Museum, along with Dr. Wilfrid Clark and Professor Joseph S. Weiner, examined the fragmented bones using the fluoride method. They also tested the bones for nitrogen and uranium content which also helped determine the age of the bones. They compare the Piltdown bones along with a proboscidean molar also found in the same discovery site, and fresh bone from a cow. By using these additional bones, scientists were able to determine the amount of fluorine in the Piltdown bones. The results showed that the Piltdown bones were less than 500 years old. The skull bones came from a man who died in the Medieval period while the jaw fragment came from an orangutan that was less than 200 years old. The tests that had been performed had revealed that the bones had been artificially stained to make the bones appear older than they were.
     I do not believe it is possible to remove the "human" factor from science to reduce the chance of errors that occur. I believe the human factor can cause errors but can also be helpful. By having other people examine each others work and to question their findings, scientists can determine whether a finding is authentic or a forgery. If one questions a particular finding, one can analyze the findings through evidence and scientific methods. The scientific community often makes mistakes but due to advanced modern dating techniques, most mistakes can be reversed.
     This historical event has been a life lesson for the scientific community. Such events as big as the Piltdown man should have been more carefully observed and researched before adding additional theories to the human evolution. The bones should have been tested fully and backed up with proper evidence before retaining its authenticity.