The Piltdown Hoax
1. The Piltdown Hoax was a series of false archeological discoveries made by amateur archeologists the early 1900's near the town of Piltdown, England. These discoveries were alleged to be early humanoid skull pieces. The discovery would have taught the scientific community about the progression from ape to man. The main discovery would be the order in which humans developed; either big brain first, or upright walking first. It received wide press and praise from England and other archeologists.
2. The impulsiveness of scientists that are bound to their country was the main impact that affected the hoax's effectiveness. Scientists in England were too eager to take pride in early man being found in England to challenge the discovery.
3. Measuring the fluorine content of the bones was the technology that began to reveal that the discoveries were a hoax. Later, it was found that the bones were coated to appear older than they were.
4. No matter what, there would have to be some element of humanity in science. Even if the discovery was left to AI to compute, human beings would be the designers of the programming. Humans shouldn't be left out of science. Human curiosity and defiance fuels science by nature.
5. The life lesson in this story is that information should always be checked and challenged; especially if the source is not reputable. This being said, information should be double checked, even if it comes from a reputable source.
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ReplyDeleteHi Evan
ReplyDeleteI agree that impulsiveness and eagerness were the faults that let to the hoax growing so large! But pride was the main human fault at work. It blinded all scientists, not just Dawson, to unprofessionally ignore applying scientific method and processes effectively.
Being that this hoax changed the way scientific methods are place for evaluating discoveries, i bet everybody learned that retesting and rechecking sources makes good science.
Hi Evan,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the scientists' impulsiveness and excitement about this discovery made them turn a blindside to the truth. They were so excited to have discovered something that had so much importance no one had the bravery to challenge the discovery and see if it was actually correct and valid. It is shocking that it took so many years, decades for scientists to actually start running tests on the Piltdown. Through these tests they were finally able to realize that it was a fraud. I agree that no matter what there will always be human error in science. It is possible for one to take more caution and care when doing something but there will always be the possibility of making mistakes.
Actually, it was one primary discovery, with other "supporting evidence", but you don't describe the discovery itself. How was it found? What bones are included in the discovery? What key features do they posses of interest? Who was involved in this hoax? When was the hoax discovered? By whom? How was it discovered? Lots of information should have been included here for your reader.
ReplyDeleteYou do correctly identify the significance of this find, regarding the conclusion that Arthur Keith's favorite theory of large brains evolving early in the evolutionary process was supported by Piltdown.
I agree that the scientific community was partially at fault for the perpetuation of the Piltdown hoax. But what about the perpetrators themselves? Why did they create the hoax in the first place? What human faults are involved there?
Okay on the technology used to uncover the hoax, but this was bit sparse. Expand. Additionally, what made scientists come back and retest Piltdown? What was happening in paleoanthropology in those 40 years that pushed them to re-examine this find? What aspect of science does that represent?
"Human curiosity and defiance fuels science by nature."
Precisely. Good insight.
Good life lesson.