Archaeoraptor

Archaeoraptor was a forged fossil, originally hailed as the missing link between dinosaurs and birds. It was created by a Chinese farmer who sought to make extra money by recovering and selling fossils. The farmer glued several fossils together, either out of the belief that they belonged together or a desire to make a more pleasing subject for display. The composite fossil was purchased by a US museum and eventually made their way to National Geographic. There, it was discovered to be a fake, but miscommunication and editorial oversight allowed National Geographic to proceed with an article anyway. While National Geographic published an article on archaeoraptor, several peer-reviewed journals declined. Eventually, the forged nature of the fossil was made public, and National Geographic retracted their claims.