Antro 101 – Online
By: J Grajeda
5/12/15
11. The beginning of the Piltdown Hoax started in
the year 1912, in southeast England, near the small village of Piltdown, after
a laborer uncovered what appeared to be an ancient skull. After passing the
skull to Charles Dawson, this would start a series of fossil discoveries at
Piltdown. After additional findings and
specially after locating a large jawbone, what seem to be the missing piece of
the skull, soon after Charles invited over Arthur Woodward a leading geologist
and paleontologist Father Teilhard de Chardin. In December 1912 they officially
announce fossil findings from the Royal Society Meeting Room. By the 1920’s new
fossil discoveries surfaced from Asia and Africa but fossils didn’t jived with
Dawson’s findings, suspicion and doubts started, but working with Woodward’s and
due to his prestige helped erased any doubts, although he specialized on fish
fossils and not human evolution. After World War II and the introduction of
newer technology a fluorine test was conducted to identify bone age, this
confirmed that the fossils were forged. The jawbone was less than 100 years old
and belonged to a female Orangutan.
22.
It was evident especially in Mr. Dawson’s case that
jealousy, greed, and pride lead to famous hoax. Lost of credibility at
different levels of society, scientist and general population.
33.
Full scale analysis conducted in 1953 confirmed the
hoax, fossils were stained and cut using a file and steel knifes
44.
I think the human factor needs to remain in
science; it’s an intricate piece to fact-finding, objectivity and data analysis.
55.
A human being will always be measured by its
core values, in this example integrity, and honesty was left aside taken over
by greed and selfishness.
Good synopsis but just missing one important point:
ReplyDelete"In December 1912 they officially announce fossil findings from the Royal Society Meeting Room."
Yes, but what were their findings? This refers to the significance of this find mentioned in the guidelines. The fossil itself is just a fossil... what would it have taught us (had it been valid) about how humans evolved from the common ape ancestor?
I agree that those human faults were probably a factor in the creation of this hoax, whomever the perpetrators might have been. But what about the scientific community itself? Why did they accept this find so quickly, without the analysis and skepticism required?
A little short on the third section. What was the specific analysis that provided empirical evidence of the hoax? And why were scientists still analyzing this find 40 years after it was uncovered? What aspect of science does this represent?
While I agree with your conclusion, you needed to explain your point on the human factor more thoroughly. What positive aspects of humans would you not want to lose from the process of science?
Yes, that is an appropriate conclusion to take from this event, but how would you apply this to your own life and how you take in an process information?
Expand. Don't be afraid to show your reader what you know on the topic. Don't leave your reader guessing as to your meaning and evidence for your stance.
Hello! Very interesting and great post! It is so funny, I had the exact same thought process for human faults pride, greed and jealousy is the main reasons for this hoax. Also agree with you with human factor it should remain but to a certain extent in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI also talked about the fluorine tests that were conducted, but what tests did they have in 1912 if any? It's a very interesting post and I also agree with the fact that human factor should stay in tact. Why do you believe that the human factor is important?
ReplyDeleteHi there. I enjoyed reading your post. You gave a really good description on the Piltdown Hoax. I agree with on the human faults that came into play regarding the hoax. I also agree with you that you can not remove the human factor from science. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYour description of the Piltdown Hoax is detailed! I believe that England very badly wanted their fossil to be real. However, I don't know if Dawson initially knew that this fossil was fake, as there were few ways of testing it's authenticity when it was initially discovered. It is nice to realize that the scientific community publishes more reliable information now then they did in the past.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking time to read my blog, constructive criticisms is very useful and it helps me learn from all of your feedback. It's greatly appreciated. Thank you
ReplyDelete