It was 1912 in a small town named Piltdown, England when ammature archeaologist Charles Dawson claimed to discover a piece of an ancient human skull. Dawson soon called on the help of Arthur Smith Woodward and Father Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and the three of them found several more bones that belonged to the same skull. The bones found were ape-like and human-like and they were the first of their kind to be found in England. It was a link that tied humans and apes, the findings were named Piltdown Man. This was big news for scientists and it was likely to answer a lot of questions for the ancestry of human and apes. The thought was that these bones belonged to the oldest of all human ancestors. Those in the community who did not believe in the findings of Dawson did not have much room at all to speak out against him, for Dawson and his work were prestigious and not to be challenged. After the death of Dawson in 1916, the findings stopped and findings in other parts of the world were looking like Dawson’s findings may have been a hoax. In the end, it was only a distraction that led researchers and scientists down a dead end road.
Between the excitement of the find and the fear of questioning the legitimacy, the bones were not challenged, but they were idolized. Instead of thinking critically and using the scientific process, the people of this time and place accepted the idea that Dawson had just discovered this ancestor of humankind.
After WWII, scientists were able to measure the fluorine content of fossils and get a better idea of how old they were. In 1949, the Piltdown bones were tested and found to be much younger than originally estimated. In 1953, even more advanced methods of dating were used to find that the bones were less than 100 years old and that the staining was artificial. Testing also found the cuts of the bones to be made with metal tools.
As long as humans are “doing science”, there is no way to remove the human from the research. This means human emotion, error, opinion, and fault. Though it is the human factor in science that drives new ideas and new discoveries. All we can do to avoid future mistakes is learn from past mistakes and remain critical and open-minded of all scientific discoveries. The scientific method is an important process!
Life Lesson: This story probably has little to no effect on most people reading it, but we can take away something from it. It is important to question everything and form your own opinions. Do your own research and never follow blindly. When the research is above our heads, we must know who to go to for reliable advice and information. We have so many resources at our fingertips today!
In general, good information in your synopsis but with a couple of corrections.
ReplyDeleteHumans ARE apes, right? So when you say that the fossil had "ape-like" and "human-like" traits, that doesn't mean much. The fossil had "hominid" traits and "non-hominid" traits would be more accurate.
Also, by this time there was not really a question of the common ancestry between humans and non-human apes. Your discussion here is just another way of saying "missing link" without the actual term. It was not a question of "if" humans evolved from that common ancestor with non-human apes but "how" they evolved. If it had been valid, Piltdown would have taught us "how" humans evolved, namely by evolving larger brains early in the evolutionary process, which we now know if false.
I agree that there were non-scientific reasons why the scientists accepted this find so readily and I appreciate how you describe this as a form of worship... science should be subjected to testing, not blind faith, correct? What about the perpetrators of this hoax? Was the hoax created by accident or intentionally? If it was created intentionally (which seems to be the case with all of the staining and filing), then why was it created in the first place? What human faults are involved here?
Good description of the tests and technology used to uncover this hoax. What about the process of science itself? What aspects of the scientific method helped to uncover the hoax? Why were scientists still testing this find some 40 years after it was discovered?
Very good discussion on why we not only can't take out the human factor, we shouldn't want to. Could we even do science without the positive aspects that humans bring to the scientific process?
RE: Life lesson... While I agree that most people wouldn't pick up on this lesson, I would argue that it would benefit society if they would. I particularly appreciate that you recognize how it is not always possible to do our own research (impossible) and that we need to be able to figure out who is knowledgeable on a subject and rely on them in place of independent research.
I enjoyed your introduction although I must comment on your statement about there being a link between humans and apes. There was no "missing-link" between the two because there really was no question at the time of who the common ancestor between apes and humans.
ReplyDeleteI particularly liked your paragraph on the human fault factor. It was very detailed and to the point. The mention of the scientific method was very good. However, I disagree that the story has little affect on most people. I believe that everyone should be aware and learn something from the Piltdown Hoax.
Overall, nice post. I enjoyed your opinions that greatly differed from the overall opinion of the class.
Thank you, Anthony! The whole time I was trying to avoid using the term "missing-link", but I was missing the point! As both you and the professor have commented, apes and humans are the same. This is much more clear for me now.
DeleteSummery was brief and simple. I do feel like a key factor in the summery was missing about how Dawson may have not been alone in this conspiracy. Other then that everything was on point.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your views on the life lesson I feel that I should adopt the same views. I had a different interpretation of how I felt learning about the Piltdown man. Overall really interesting post.
-It was a interesting read.