Piltdown Hoax

1912 in an English town named Piltdown, Charles Dawson who was an amateur archaeologist claimed to have a piece of a human skull. Arthur Smith Woodward was a geologist who was invited to see it and Father Pierre a French paleontologist was also invited to Piltdown. That summer the trio found astonishing stuff like animal fossils. Dawson found a jawbone from the same skull that looked like an ape jawbone with human teeth. In Dec 1912, in the geological society Woodward made an announcement of their discovery. The scientists were amazed by their discovery and the founders have even said that these ancient human fossils might turn out to be the oldest of all.

After WWII, there was a new technique in which one could date how old the fossils were. This process was used by fluorine. In 1949 scientists conducted a fluorine test on Piltdown fossils. The results showed that the fossils were younger then said. In 1953 they tried again with better technology. It proved that artifacts had been stained and certain fossils were cut by steel knives. The teeth had been filed down; there were scratch marks found. The jaw bone was less than 100 hundred years and it was a female orangutan.

From what we can see, human faults here were jealousy, greed and lies. Dawson was so ambitious that he would do anything to make him known as the man who found the ancient human fossils along with his group. He also wanted England to be known as the country who found them. He wanted his county to stick out in the headlines. Obviously, what he did wasn’t right because he made thousands believe that he had found human fossils. He was taking credit for a hoax. When this was discovered, scientists were shocked and saddened. They felt like everything that had learned was for nothing, just a big lie.

The fluorine test was what told scientists that the fossils were very young. It also proved that the fossils were stained and that the jawbone belonged to a female orangutan. The fossils were cut down by steel knife and the teeth were filed down. Fluorine analyses can be used on bones only qnd bones are exposed by groundwater that contain fluorine. It can also be used by bones that are found in the same place.

I wouldn’t want to see humans removed from science. What would we have to replace them, robots? It wouldn’t be the same because humans are passionate about science and we like to hear what they have to say. There will be mistakes caused by humans, but that is why there are scientists who review their theories before putting it out to the public. Technology is more advanced now than it once was so it’ll be easier to detect another hoax.

What I’ve learned is that sometimes it is okay to second guess what you hear and see. For instance, here these poor people were hoaxed. Then again, I feel like with our improved technology it would be hard to fool scientists. It is why researchers review it and test it before they put It out to the public and it’s okay. No one wants to be fooled.