New genetic and morphological evidence suggests a single hoaxer created ‘Piltdown man’

Abstract

In 1912, palaeontologist Arthur Smith Woodward and amateur antiquarian and solicitor Charles Dawson announced the discovery of a fossil that supposedly provided a link between apes and humans: Eoanthropus dawsoni (Dawson's dawn man). The publication generated huge interest from scientists and the general public. However, ‘Piltdown man's’ initial celebrity has long been overshadowed by its subsequent infamy as one of the most famous scientific frauds in history. Our re-evaluation of the Piltdown fossils using the latest scientific methods (DNA analyses, high-precision measurements, spectroscopy and virtual anthropology) shows that it is highly likely that a single orang-utan specimen and at least two human specimens were used to create the fake fossils. The modus operandi was found consistent throughout the assemblage (specimens are stained brown, loaded with gravel fragments and restored using filling materials), linking all specimens from the Piltdown I and Piltdown II sites to a single forger—Charles Dawson. Whether Dawson acted alone is uncertain, but his hunger for acclaim may have driven him to risk his reputation and misdirect the course of anthropology for decades. The Piltdown hoax stands as a cautionary tale to scientists not to be led by preconceived ideas, but to use scientific integrity and rigour in the face of novel discoveries.

Teilhard de Chardin, human evolution and “Piltdown Man”

“…In 1912, Edgar Willett was a man of leisure in early retirement near Piltdown which he is known to have visited with Charles Dawson, who has been regarded by some as the prime suspect, on account of his numerous (serial) forgeries.…”

“…I utilize part of yet another drawing, published in 1965, to supplement his earlier figures. I draw attention to Teilhard's reference to Eoanthropus (“Piltdown Man”), indicated in his figure that was first printed in1943, about 30 years after the formal announcement of the alleged “hominin” species which was in fact a fraudulent combination of a human skull with a modified orangutan jaw …”

“…first printed in1943, about 30 years after the formal announcement of the alleged "hominin" species which was in fact a fraudulent combination of a human skull with a modified orangutan jaw. [4][5][6][7][8] My primary purpose is to redraw two of Teilhard's figures with an updated time scale (Figures 4 and 5), and with use of modern terminology for various Plio-Pleistocene hominin taxa that were known to Teilhard within his lifetime. I go on to present evidence in support of a perception that he was deliberately furtive about "Piltdown Man" as a hoax or joke.…”

Scuffles, Scoops and Scams: The Construction of Prehistoric Knowledge in Newspapers

“…Scam: On 10 August of 2016 a team of researchers led by Chris Stringer presented the final conclusions of who had perpetrated the Piltdown hoax of 1912. All the evidence points to Charles Dawson (De Groote et al., ) who had ‘discovered the fossils,’ but in fact had combined a human skull and the jaw of an ape. Piltdown is without a doubt the most famous case of scientific fraud in human origins research.…”

A Mixed Method Study of Prospective Teachers' Epistemic Beliefs and Web Evaluation Strategies Concerning Hoax Websites

“…Even the latest research performed in 2012 on the Piltdown Man fossils has suggested that a single hoaxer created it, who they believe was Charles Dawson (De Groote et al, 2012). The fake fossil was created using a single orangutan and at least two human specimens (De Groote et al, 2012).…”