1.) In the year 1912, in a village in England named Piltdown, a shocking discovery was made. An amateur archeologist named Charles Dawson discovered a piece of a human skull and a piece of what appeared to be an ancient human jaw. He recruited geologist Arthur Smith Woodward and French paleontologist Father Pierre Tayard to help dig in the same spot where he discovered the jaw to see if they were any other fossils. His findings were eventually known as the Piltdown Man. When Dawson's findings were revealed, the scientific community was happy and excited. Scientists were pleased that England could possibly have a fossil of one of the first ancient humans. Since Arthur Woodward was a prestigious geologist, everyone believed the piltdown man to be real. An anatomist Arthur Keith also endorsed the Piltdown Man since it justified his theory on evolution. Scientists were happy that the "missing link" between primates and humans had possibly been discovered.
After World War 2, new scientific advances had been made. In 1949, scientists were able to measure the fluoride inside the fossils to date them. The Piltdown Man fossils were measured and discovered to be dated only 100,000 years ago instead of millions. In 1953, scientists were able to perform a full scale dating analysis which proved the fossils to only be 100 years old. Scientists also discovered the jaw was really that of a female orangutan. Pieces of the skull and jaw had been cut off purposely with a steel knife so that it could not be recognized as a primate fossil. The teeth on the jaw also had been filed down. The fossil along with other artifacts were also artificially stained. It was proven that Dawson had forged this fossil and other fossils he had discovered all because he wanted the scientific prestige. Charles Dawson tricked Arthur Woodward into believing that the fossil was that of an ancient human. The scientific community was shocked and disappointed that they had all been tricked.
2.) There were a couple of human faults that came into play in the Piltdown Man hoax. People thought of scientists as having prestige so no one ever dared question them. Although, there was a good amount of evidence proving that this may be an ancient human, people still doubted it. They were too scared to challenge a scientist though and therefore did not say anything. Woodward believed Dawson and did not question anything. This negatively effected the scientific process because no one felt the need to experiment to prove that these fossils were that of an ancient human. Everyone was too excited and acted on emotion rather than think and use the scientific process.
3.) The process of dating fossils by measuring the fluoride inside them was a huge scientific advancement. It also played a huge role in figuring out the the Piltdown Man fossils were only 100 years old instead of millions of years old. Scientists were also too see where the jaw and skull had been cut with a steel knife and that the teeth had been filed down. Another positive aspect of the scientific process was scientists being able to see that jaw and other artifacts had been artificially stained to make them appear older than they really are.
4.) I do not believe it is possible to remove the "human" factor from science to reduce the chance of errors. Scientists are humans and humans come with many emotions, feelings, and we all think differently. Even if a scientist is thinking strictly scientifically, he/she still has feelings and it is impossible to function without them. I would not want to remove the human factor from science. I believe that many theories and discoveries have been made based on someone having a "certain feeling" about something. We are not robots and we will always have certain emotions and feelings, I think that some of these actually aid scientists in doing their jobs.
5.) There are many important lessons you can learn from this hoax, but there is one that is the most important of all; Regarding science, even if you trust this person completely, you must provide solid evidence and experiment to make sure that your/their discovery/idea/theory/etc is completely true. If there is something that doesn't quite add up, then don't be afraid to speak up and question it. The scientific method is there to help justify your observation so use it, even if you're using it to justify someone else's observation.
Hi Michelle,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post and also agree that we should not take out the human factor since science is about feelings and emotions. You also talked about an important lesson about trust and think that you have to do your own tests to find the truth about a particular subject especially when it comes to science.
Fluorine also did play a big part on the dating and unraveling of Piltdown hoax in the year 1949. With the newer technology scientists were able to see that someone used acids and solutions to make the fragments look older than they were. The fragments after extensive research only seemed to be around 100 years old which was considered modern.
You also made a good point that the fragments should have been tested earlier and that human faults did play a big part in the hoax. There should be more testing of evidence to find the truth behind a scientific theory and in this case the scientific process had been disregarded.
Good synopsis. A couple of questions. What was Arthur Woodward's 'theory of evolution' that you mention? This, along with the fact that this was the first human fossil to be found in England, is the key significance of this find, if it had been valid. Something else to be careful of is the use of the term "missing link". This is a term used by the public and it is a misconception of evolutionary theory. Humans (and other organisms) adapt slowly over time. There is no single "link" that separates an older form from a newer form.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your identification of "scientific authority" as a reason why the conclusions weren't initially challenged overtly. That said, Dawson was an amateur and I don't believe Woodward would have felt intimidated by him. I think Woodward was either in on the hoax or wanted to believe a fossil that supported his theory. But you are correct... they were acting on emotion or ulterior motives, not the scientific method.
You mention methods and technology (which is correct) but is there an aspect of the process of science itself, meaning the way science is run, that lead to evidence of this hoax?
Good discussion on the human factor and your summary was well done with regard to science. Can this lesson apply to life in general.
Great job describing everything that happened in chronological order. I agree with you that human factor cannot be removed, everyone makes mistakes and there must be some sort of evidence to prove our points or findings we make. I enjoyed reading your post. Great Job keep up the good work!
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