The Piltdown Hoax Blog

1.       Piltdown was the gravel place in East Sussex England where Charles Dawson claimed that the man who work in the Piltdown gravel and found the pieces of bones to which Dawson believed that it was a fossil of the remain of early human. The remains were collected in 1912. Dawson collaborated with Arthur Smith Woodward, a keeper in British Museum who was also showed a vast of interest in Dawson discovery. Hence Dawson recovered more bones, skulls and fossils. However, the most controversial among his bones recovery was the skull that similar to human bone skull structure where they believed the human brain size fitted to their skull discovery. Other than the skull, the jaw also showed similarity to the chimps. Thus Woodward believed that the Piltdown man discovery was the missing of the evolutionary link. Until in 1915 when G.S Miller opened the first scientific investigation. Through a study and comparison in 1953 Oakley and other scientist proved that Piltdown man was a hoax. Everyone involve in the Piltdown discovery was believed had its own self-interest. Thus, many speculation came to the open. “The first solid evidence regarding the identity of the perpetrator emerged in 1996, two decades after a trunk marked with the initials M.A.C.H. had been discovered in storage at the British Museum. Upon analyzing bones found in the trunk, the British paleontologists Brian Gardiner and Andrew Currant found that they had been stained in the exact same way as the Piltdown fossils. The trunk apparently had belonged to Martin A.C. Hinton, who became keeper of zoology at the British Museum in 1936. Hinton, who in 1912 was working as a volunteer at the museum, may have treated and planted the Piltdown bones as a hoax in order to ensnare and embarrass Woodward, who had rebuffed Hinton’s request for a weekly wage. Hinton presumably used the bones in the steamer trunk for practice before treating the bones used in the actual hoax” (Britannica Encyclopedia).

 

The Scientific Method

 

2.       Lack of variables, credibility, reliability, validity of resources and the scientists; not following the exact Scientific method of research or experiment; not enough time, resources and funding for scientific investigation could be a possibility the causes of human faults in conducting research and experiments. In discoveries like this, it would take many factors of variables to consider on how the individuals treat or manipulate the variables. In every types of research there has always been the independent and dependent variables however it should always identify the moderator variable either it is controlled or confounding variables. Sometimes when manipulating the variables in a wrong way could also affect the experimentation process. Other, when one forgets to investigate the validity of resources could always be the downfall of many scientist and researchers. When Dawson kept bringing remains like fossils and bones structure, nobody contested the site of the location of the remains and who were the people who worked in the graveyard, what was their background and history and were the graveyard worker had enough credibility, or they just picked the bones anywhere. In conducting a research and experiments every person should always check the credibility and reliability of the resources.  Just like in many experimental researches, it would go to take several years to prove the validity of the experiment. Another thing to consider the scientific method.  Following scientific method is very important neither should skip any steps when conducting a research or experiment. Experiments and researches method are always chain linked to each other. If somebody misses, skip the method or contamination of variables would affect the validity and reliability of the research.

The Pildown Man Skull

 

3.       The positive aspects of scientific process were responsible in revealing that the skull was a fraud was the steps of analyzing and drawing conclusions when this part decided as to whether the hypothesis is valid or null before drawing the results. However, doubts began to rise in the discovery of the bones. First, the authenticity of the bones structures so as the skull. The shape of the skull was the most controversial of all because it only creates more problems and puzzle when giving the right specification.  If it was to believed a prehistoric human skull, none of its showed or distinguished of an early human skull hence it would showed more identification of modern human skull. Lack of upper portion of brow ridges of the jaw as of the early human skull structure. Lack of he portion that should attached between the jaw and the skull instead it directly attached the skull. The right placement of molars also created more problems in connecting it to the early human skull. Even King William Gregory stated that “skull and a broken ape jaw" had been "artificially fossilized" and "planted in the gravel bed to fool the scientists." Aside from scope that Dawson wanted to gain a royalty for his discovery many believed that it was a hoax.

4.       I do not think we could eliminate human factor in conducting experiments and researches. Just like any other researchers and experiments human still has a significant role in conducting it. One thing that so unique about human is the curiosity, reasoning and processing of the ideas using our human senses. Human reasoning could collect ideas that which come into consciousness that goes through a process. Errors are always seen in many researches and experiments hence human error mainly are the causes of errors however it’s all about trial and error until its proven valid. We might prevent the human errors or faults but we couldn’t totally perfect experimentation in one setting. I do not agree of eliminating human factor just I would say that human still playing a significant role in many experimental success.

5.       The lesson that I learned from this historical events was that human is always human and human commits error either consciously or unconsciously but also can perfected his skills. Human among the species on earth is the most genius and creative creature. Sometimes humans ruled by self-interest, pride and greed that lead to commit a hoax or crime. Human unique way in processing the ideas consciously created a vast experiments, researches, discoveries and invention. Thus error is always been a part of experimenting until proven to be valid. Regardless of what the real motive of the researchers or scientist the truth will always set us free. Validity has always been a factor of proving the hypothesis of experiement and many neglected it.

 

References:

BBC History

Britannica Encyclopedia

National Geographic

Photos: www.googleimages.com