De Groote, I

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Solving the Piltdown Man crime: how we worked out there was only one forgerhttps://theconversation.com/solving-the-piltdown-man-crime-how-we-worked-out-there-was-only-one-forger-63615[01/09/2016 14:39:03]Academic rigour, journalistic flairArts + Culture Business + Economy Education Environment + Energy Health + Medicine Politics + Society Science + Technology BrexitSolving the Piltdown Man crime: how weworked out there was only one forgerAugust 10, 2016 7.27am BSTAuthorIsabelle De GrooteSenior Lecturer in BiologicalAnthropology, Liverpool JohnMoores UniversityDisclosure statementIsabelle De Groote does not workfor, consult, own shares in orreceive funding from anycompany or organisation thatwould benefit from this article, andhas disclosed no relevantaffiliations beyond the academicappointment above.PartnersLiverpool John Moores Universityprovides funding as a member ofThe Conversation UK.The Conversation’s partnersThe Conversation UK receivesfunding from Hefce, Hefcw,SAGE, SFC, RCUK, The NuffieldFoundation, The Ogden Trust,The Royal Society, The WellcomeTrust, Esmée FairbairnFoundation and The Alliance forUseful Evidence, as well as sixtyIt is arguably the greatest scientific crime ever committed in Britain. In December1912, Charles Dawson, an amateur antiquarian and solicitor archaeologist, presentedpart of a human-like skull to the world which he claimed was the “missing link”between ape and human. While the discovery made waves at the time, new datingtechnologies in the 1950s revealed that these bones were nowhere near old enough tomake up such a link and that the fossils had therefore been a hoax.So who did it? Suspects have ranged from French priest and palaeontologist Teilhard de Chardin to writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but many archaeologists naturallyThe portrait painted by John Cooke in 1915. Back row: (left to right) F. O. Barlow, G. Elliot Smith, Charles Dawson, Arthur Smith Woodward. JohnCooke/wikimedia Email Twitter 11 Facebook 74 LinkedIn 16 PrintEdition: Donate Events Dashboard United Kingdom Isabelle De GrooteGet newsletter   Solving the Piltdown Man crime: how we worked out there was only one forgerhttps://theconversation.com/solving-the-piltdown-man-crime-how-we-worked-out-there-was-only-one-forger-63615[01/09/2016 14:39:03]five university members.View the full listRepublish this articleWe believe in the free flow ofinformation. We use a CreativeCommons AttributionNoDerivatives licence, so youcan republish our articles for free,online or in print.suspect Dawson. But the evidence has so far been lacking. And if it were indeed him,how can we be sure he didn’t have any accomplices? Now, a century after his death, new evidence obtained by my colleagues and I points the finger of suspicion evenmore firmly at Dawson, and suggests a sole hoaxer was responsible.Dawson announced the discovery of the newfossil hominin – Eoanthropus dawsoni –together with palaeontologist Arthur SmithWoodward. It was Dawson who first contactedWoodward, then keeper of palaeontology at theMuseum of Natural History in London, abouthaving found a new human fossil. He wrote thatthe fossil would “rival” the German fossil jawbelonging Homo heidelbergensis, the first earlyhuman species to live in colder climates.Scientists had become increasingly interested infinding the missing link between humans andapes ever since the publication of CharlesDarwin’s “Descent of Man” in 1871. Thediscovery of Piltdown Man put Great Britain at the forefront of palaeoanthropologyby demonstrating that early humans had big brains and apelike jaws. Thepublication generated great interest from scientists and the general public alike.The material consisted of an ape-like jawbone containing two worn molar teeth andparts of a human-like braincase. These were fraudulently planted in a gravel depositnear the village of Piltdown, in Sussex, UK. Associated with these were primitivestone tools and fragmentary fossil mammals, all stained dark reddish-brown like thegravels, suggesting an early Pleistocene or Pliocene date (2.6m years or even older).After Dawson’s death, a second collection of skull fragments and a molar tooth whichDawson had told Smith Woodward originated from a second site – referred to asPiltdown II – were presented to the museum.Very few scientists of the time were allowed to study the “original” fossils and weregiven plaster cast copies instead. But over the next 40 years Eoanthropus becameincreasingly marginalised as ancient hominin fossils such as “Peking Man” wereRepublishReconstruction of Eoanthropus dawsoni from1913. wikimediaPiltdown man evidence. Judy BreckJ, CC BY-SASolving the Piltdown Man crime: how we worked out there was only one forgerhttps://theconversation.com/solving-the-piltdown-man-crime-how-we-worked-out-there-was-only-one-forger-63615[01/09/2016 14:39:03]discovered in China, Indonesia and Africa, none of which showed the peculiarcombination of an ape-like jaw and human-like braincase found in Piltdown man. In1953, scientists decided to apply new chemical tests to ascertain the age of thePiltdown Man fossils. They discovered they were likely only a few hundred ratherthan thousands of years old.Piecing together the evidenceOur analyses, published in Royal Society Open Science, were inspired by new andemerging technologies in the field of palaeoanthropology: ancient DNA analyses, CTscanning and X-ray tomography. Solving the Piltdown crime is still important now asit stands as a cautionary tale to scientists not to be blinded by preconceived ideas butto remain objective and to subject even their own findings to scientific scrutiny.Using DNA analysis we could show that the orangutan material used to forge thePiltdown I jaw and teeth as well as the Piltdown II molar tooth very likely originatedfrom a single orangutan specimen related most closely to the orangutans nowoccupying Borneo. We also know that two or perhaps three possibly medievalhumans were used to make up the cranial “fossils”. But as we were unable to extractDNA from the bones we do not know where these were acquired.We also discovered that the whole collection of bones were subject to the sametreatment as the orangutan material. Using CT scans to investigate the inside of thebones we noticed that several of the bones and teeth were loaded with gravel thatwas held in place with pebble plugs. Adding gravel would not only have made thebones heavier and feel more like fossils but they would also appear to have beenlying in the gravels for a while. This gravel originated from sediment similar to thatGravel block from Piltdown inside CT scanner. Author providedSolving the Piltdown Man crime: how we worked out there was only one forgerhttps://theconversation.com/solving-the-piltdown-man-crime-how-we-worked-out-there-was-only-one-forger-63615[01/09/2016 14:39:03]found at the Piltdown site.A silicate dental putty was used in both assemblages to restore the human vaultbones; to hold the gravel plugs in place in the ear hole in the skull; to restore the firstteeth in the orangutan jawbone and to position the teeth back into place in their jawafter grinding them down to look more like used human teeth. The consistency intechniques and the use of a limited number of specimens to create both the PiltdownI and Piltdown II material seems to suggest a single forger was responsible.Dawson remains the main suspect in the case of Piltdown Man. He is the only personwho was present at every discovery and the only one to have seen the Piltdown IIsite. The question remains: what would have driven an apparently successful countrysolicitor, with a reputation as a geologist, archaeologist and local historian, and withan impressive collection of fossils held in the British Museum, to turn into a serialforger?Our own library and archival research has shown that Dawson was responsible for atleast 38 forgeries (for example, the Roman inscribed tiles from Pevensey and astatuette excavated by Dawson during the late 1800s were found to be fakes too) .It has been suggested that his motive was scientific recognition and, in particular, hisambition to be elected a fellow of the Royal Society. Dawson wrote more than 50publications but none up until Piltdown appears to have greatly furthered his career.He and his wife wrote letters asking for his recognition but even though he wasnominated as a fellow, his nomination for election was not successful. Dawson diedon August 10 1916 – almost exactly 100 years ago. Had he lived a bit longer, he mayyet have achieved his ambition.Anthropology Archaeology Fraud Forgery HoaxYou might also like Tweet  Share  Get newsletterExtraordinary ‘missinglink’ fossil fsh foundin ChinaAge of jawbones meanthe origins of humansjust got olderA decade on and theHobbit stillholds secretsNew fossils confrmdiversity was the rulefor human evolutionSolving the Piltdown Man crime: how we worked out there was only one forgerhttps://theconversation.com/solving-the-piltdown-man-crime-how-we-worked-out-there-was-only-one-forger-63615[01/09/2016 14:39:03]  Comments2 Oldest NewestThanks very much! I have been reading about this story for years- every now and then another article would crop up in New Scientist etc. but I can’t remember who came out as the ‘favourite’ as the fraud. It seems to have been nailed down now, and I’m pleased to see that, as in present day crimes, the guilty person is usually the obvious one.RecommendWilliam Stevenson• Report22 days ago ReplyI’m delighted that the use of present-day technology has confirmed everything that J. S. Weiner uncovered in 1953. As it is customary for scientific papers to cite previous research, it would be good to see his pioneering exposé acknowledged in your report. In all other ways, it is a terrific piece of work. –Edmund Weiner (son of the above).RecommendEdmund Weinerlogged in via Twitter• Report18 days ago ReplyComment on this articleHow three-day weekends can helpsave the world (and us too)We’ve been wrong about the origins oflife for 90 yearsThe science of naked attractionAny job isn’t necessarily a good job forpeople out of workThree of Namibia’s most famous lionfamily were poisoned – why?What on Earth are they doing to ourchocolate bars?Sloths aren’t lazy – their slowness is asurvival skillWe may be able to treat depressionwith anti-inflammatory drugs –here’s whyHow a nasty, brain-eating parasitecould help us fight cancerHow a ‘weather bomb’ shook the Earth– and why that’s not an earthquakeMost popular on The Conversation EventsFind experts with knowledge in:*Migration and citizenship: Evidence from tworeferendums — Paisley, Scotland,RenfrewshireRadical Technology Revisited — Corsham,WiltshireHow can we create more just and lessunequal creative cities? — London, IslingtonLessons from the Edge with Aldo Kane. —Edinburgh, MidlothianThe American Presidential Election of 2016(so far): Sore Losers and Glass Ceilings —London, London, City ofMORE EVENTSExpert Database Community standardsRepublishing guidelinesFriends of The ConversationResearch and Expert Database Events Our feedsCommunityWho we areOur charterOur teamOur blogPartners and fundersContributing institutionsCompanyFollow us on social mediaStay informedSubscribe to our Newsletters United KingdomSolving the Piltdown Man crime: how we worked out there was only one forgerhttps://theconversation.com/solving-the-piltdown-man-crime-how-we-worked-out-there-was-only-one-forger-63615[01/09/2016 14:39:03] Donate Resource for mediaContact usPrivacy policy  Terms and conditions  Corrections Copyright © 2010–2016, The Conversation Trust (UK) Limited

Solving the Piltdown Man crime: how we worked out there was only one forger

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