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[[File:Ev67c.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Piltdown man "skull"]]

[[File:Ev67c.jpg|right|thumb|Piltdown man "skull"]]

'''Piltdown Man''' was a notorious hoax perpetrated early in 20th century [[Great Britain]], in which a medieval human skull was combined with the lower jaw of an [[orangutan]] and subsequently "found" in a gravel pit in the near the village of Piltdown, England. Hailed as the "[[missing link]]" between man and ape-like species by promoters of [[evolution]] for decades, Piltdown man was exposed as a fraud only through later scientific testing and simple observation.  The refusal of the discoverer to allow independent scrutiny of his claims enabled this fraud to persist '''''for over forty years'''''.

'''Piltdown Man''' was a notorious hoax perpetrated early in 20th century [[Great Britain]], in which a medieval human skull was combined with the lower jaw of an [[orangutan]] and subsequently "found" in a gravel pit in the near the village of Piltdown, England. Hailed as the "[[missing link]]" between man and ape-like species by promoters of [[evolution]] for decades, Piltdown man was exposed as a fraud only through later scientific testing and simple observation.  The refusal of the discoverer to allow independent scrutiny of his claims enabled this fraud to persist '''''for over forty years'''''.

==Questions begin==

==Questions begin==

[[Image:piltdownman_quennell_1922.png|thumb|right|200px|A rendering of "Piltdown Man", already entrenched in scientific literature in 1922.]]

[[Image:piltdownman_quennell_1922.png|thumb|right|A rendering of "Piltdown Man", already entrenched in scientific literature in 1922.]]

Doubts about the veracity of the Piltdown man remains began almost immediately.  In contrast to the British, French and American scientists were more reserved, despite fragments of a second Piltdown man announced in 1917 which convinced many more of the fossil's authenticity.  Dawson's death the previous year was an additional aid to Piltdown.  But placing the fragments together in the shape of a skull created more problems than it solved.  The upper portion was not just lacking the brow ridges they thought should be there, as in the Neanderthal; it was very-much modern human.  The surviving portion of the mandible was missing its chin and the condyle - the portion of the jaw which directly attaches to the skull.  It was further pointed out that the large size of the bone and two molars was too similar to that of an ape.  Placing it with evolutionary lines was difficult, and as new discoveries were made in the next few decades, it became harder for evolutionary scientists to place Piltdown man anywhere on the family tree; most would just leave it out.  

Doubts about the veracity of the Piltdown man remains began almost immediately.  In contrast to the British, French and American scientists were more reserved, despite fragments of a second Piltdown man announced in 1917 which convinced many more of the fossil's authenticity.  Dawson's death the previous year was an additional aid to Piltdown.  But placing the fragments together in the shape of a skull created more problems than it solved.  The upper portion was not just lacking the brow ridges they thought should be there, as in the Neanderthal; it was very-much modern human.  The surviving portion of the mandible was missing its chin and the condyle - the portion of the jaw which directly attaches to the skull.  It was further pointed out that the large size of the bone and two molars was too similar to that of an ape.  Placing it with evolutionary lines was difficult, and as new discoveries were made in the next few decades, it became harder for evolutionary scientists to place Piltdown man anywhere on the family tree; most would just leave it out.  

==Finding of fraud==

==Finding of fraud==

The date first assigned to the bones was never based on the bones at all, but rather were based on testing of older material found nearby. This is partially due to the fact that modern dating techniques, like the [[Fluorine Absorption test]], were not yet invented (and indeed, when they were, proved essential to Piltdown man's downfall<ref>[http://www.palarch.nl/NorthWestEurope/nweur_2006_1_1.pdf Annotated Biblography of the Piltdown Man Forgery]</ref>). Like similar artifacts purporting to prove evolution today, there was no independent or public scrutiny of the actual materials.

The date first assigned to the bones was never based on the bones at all, but rather were based on testing of older material found nearby. This is partially due to the fact that modern dating techniques, like the [[Fluorine Absorption test]], were not yet invented (and indeed, when they were, proved essential to Piltdown man's downfall<ref>[http://www.palarch.nl/NorthWestEurope/nweur_2006_1_1.pdf Annotated Biblography of the Piltdown Man Forgery]</ref>). Like similar artifacts purporting to prove evolution today, there was no independent or public scrutiny of the actual materials.

The fluorine method was first carried out in 1949 by Dr. Kenneth Oakley of the British Museum, which initially showed the fossils to have been much younger than fauna remains found in the same area.  The results drew the attention of colleague Professor Joseph S. Weiner, who, along with Oakley and Dr. Wilfrid E. Le Gros Clark, decided upon an exhaustive examination of the bones.  An improved fluorine test was done, as well as testing for nitrogen and uranium content. As controls, they used a proboscidean molar also found at the site and fresh bone from a recently-slaughtered cow.

The fluorine method was first carried out in 1949 by Dr. Kenneth Oakley of the British Museum, which initially showed the fossils to have been much younger than fauna remains found in the same area.  The results drew the attention of colleague Professor Joseph S. Weiner, who, along with Oakley and Dr. Wilfrid E. Le Gros Clark, decided upon an exhaustive examination of the bones.  An improved fluorine test was done, as well as testing for nitrogen and uranium content. As controls, they used a proboscidean molar also found at the site and fresh bone from a recently-slaughtered cow.

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