Piltdown Blog Post

1.       In 1912, Charles Dawson of Piltdown, England claimed to have made an earth-shattering discovery: the fossilized skeleton of a creature that was the link between apes and humans. The jaw bone with canine tooth showed that this creature might be the ancestors of human beings. The world was riveted. Some anthropologists even staked their careers on the discovery wasting their whole life to find the remaining skull of this creature. Finding this skull, British scientists were now proud to be in same level as England and other big countries who have found the ancient fossils.

2.       The desire to be part of a great discovery blinded those charged with authenticating it. Also maybe national pride had kept the researchers from noticing the scratch marks made by the filing of the jaw and teeth. Wanting to be the part of this great discovery that gave national pride to them, wanting for it to be true, it completely blinded them to find the evidence that it is fraud.

3.       Since 1953 the name "Piltdown" hasn't been associated with great scientific discovery, but great scientific fraud. It was in that year that a group of scientists, lead by Kenneth Page Oakley, attempted to use the new method of fluorine testing to get a more exact date on the bones. What the test showed surprised them: The jaw was modern and the skull only hundreds years old. Additional analysis soon confirmed the fluorine tests. The jaw was really that of an orangutan. Also observing the teeth in microscope, they found another shock that it was carved by someone. They evidence was that there were deep scratch marks on the teeth.

4.       I don’t know if it is possible to remove “human” factors from science since we are human and whatever, or however we do, we are still a human. However, I believe it will be a great help removing the “human” factors from science just like robots or computers time to time but not always. In my opinion, science need human factors to find more discoveries and many more. By mistake we learn and by that, our learning source is limitless which could be “human’s” strong point.

5.       What I learned from this is that do not let anything blind your sight and stay on focus what you have to do.  Also do not make fraud to make yourself famous or your country proud because it only makes it worse.