New genetic and morphological evidence suggests a single hoaxer created 'Piltdown man'.
New genetic and morphological evidence suggests a single hoaxer created 'Piltdown man'.
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DOI：
10.1098/rsos.160328
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发表时间：
2016-08
影响因子：
3.5
通讯作者：
Stringer CB
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
De Groote I;Flink LG;Abbas R;Bello SM;Burgia L;Buck LT;Dean C;Freyne A;Higham T;Jones CG;Kruszynski R;Lister A;Parfitt SA;Skinner MM;Shindler K;Stringer CB
1912 年，古生物学家阿瑟·史密斯·伍德沃德 (Arthur Smith Woodward) 和业余古物学家兼律师查尔斯·道森 (Charles Dawson) 宣布发现了一块化石，据称该化石提供了猿与人类之间的联系：道森始人 (Eoanthropus dawsoni)（道森的黎明人）。该出版物引起了科学家和公众的巨大兴趣。然而，“皮尔当人”最初的名气早已被后来作为历史上最著名的科学骗局之一的恶名所掩盖。我们使用最新的科学方法（DNA 分析、高精度测量、光谱学和虚拟人类学）对皮尔当化石的重新评估表明，很可能使用单个猩猩标本和至少两个人类标本来制作假化石。整个组合中的作案手法被发现是一致的（标本被染成棕色，装满砾石碎片，并使用填充材料修复），将皮尔当一号和皮尔当二号遗址的所有标本都与一个伪造者查尔斯·道森联系起来。道森是否单独行动尚不清楚，但他对赞誉的渴望可能驱使他冒着声誉风险，并在数十年里误导了人类学的进程。皮尔当骗局对科学家来说是一个警示，不要被先入为主的想法所引导，而要在面对新发现时运用科学的完整性和严谨性。
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.