Piltdown Hoax

Charles Dawson was an archeologist in Southern England who was given fragments of bone by a local worker who had discovered them while digging in a gravel pit. Upon looking at the fossils Charles believed that these in fact could be early human remains. He continued to search for more remains and in 1912 he discovered a jawbone. Dawson reached out to Arthur Smith Woodward who was a part of the Natural History Museum and together they continued their search and eventually found enough fragments that they were able to piece together what was a skull of ape and human-like characteristics. It was December of 1912 that Charles Dawson announced his discovery to the world and it took only 40 years later that it was discovered to be a hoax.

Charles Dawson has been the suspect of being behind the hoax. He was an amateur archeologist whom was eager to find a discovery in England just as France, Germany, and others had already done. Not only was he eager to find a discovery but that the discovery would prove that humans evolved from primates. With the eagerness to make a discovery and prove his thought, he could have potentially been behind the whole plot of planting and altering the Piltdown bones (as no one is yet determined to be responsible).  Jealousy is another potential motive for the hoax in this incident this is his human fault. The actions of the Hoax led to science believing a false truth of human evolution and changed the beliefs and created different studies based of a false and purposely planned scheme.

It is surprising to think that this hoax fooled the world for 40years. This is possible that so much time passed by because first the remains were locked up for years and those who wanted to study the remains were given replicas. Another reason was the conformity of society’s wants to figure out the puzzle of evolution and many believed this to be true because it gave an answer. An answer was something that they were searching for prior to the finding and now that they had one it was not typically resisted. However there were some who were skeptics of the findings. It was Professor Kenneth Oakley who used a fluorine analysis that he determined that the human skull was much older than the jaw. The fluorine analysis will determine the amount of fluorine in the bones and that the bones if in the ground for the same amount of time should show no difference in fluorine amount, that there was a discrepancies with the Piltdown bones that made researcher look further into them and they were then discovered that they were different species and led to the accurate results of what the bones were.

The Piltdown hoax is an example of how human emotions can affect science. It was Dawson who reacted to his emotions versus using the appropriate steps that science needs. He wanted results so he created results. He allowed his emotions to be involved in science however “human” is always in science. In this situation is happened to be involved in a negative way, although it can be positive to allow the “human” of us to help motivate, and drive us to continue studies within science. We allow or thought, opinion, and doubts to take the steps within science. We are now more advanced in the capability of being able to back our data as well as challenge others. 

One of the biggest lessons that come from the Piltdown’s Hoax is the need for proof. Charles Dawson did not have proof and also no one openly challenged the findings. Proof can be extremely important to have because it is the only defense you can have in science. Also another lesson of this hoax would be that getting the answer you are wanting, and searching for is not always the answer that is needed.  Just the same a Dawson who wanted to find ancient human remains and was discouraged that England had yet to make any discoveries.  He was driven to create his own answer and over time it was found to be wrong and it change the views of what many believed for a long period of time.