Piltdown Hoax

In 1912, the Piltdown Man hoax occurred in England. Human fossils found by Charles Darwin were found to be similar to an ape-like primate. This discovery immediately led to support of the theory that brain size developed previous to walking upright, which we know know to be false. At the time, scientist believed that primates evolved into humans, rather than evolving in to two separate species, like we know now. Before the technology we have now, it was easy to make mistakes. Now, we have better accuracy when it comes to dating fossils. Due to this hoax, many people opposed scientific theories, specifically evolution, and viewed them as mere conspiracies.

In any situation, it is human nature to want to be right. Our pride gets in the way, and often times without realizing it, we have come to a conclusion based on what we believe to be truth, when in reality, our pride and the desire to be right has clouded our "research." At the time of this "discovery" there was an urgency to be first. This could have played a large role in the hoax.

This hoax led to a more careful analyzation of future theories and discoveries. It was important for scientists to go back and uncover this hoax in order to redefine the scientific method and the idea of retesting a hypothesis before claiming it as truth.

I believe that removing the human factor from science, if it were even possible, would defeat the purpose of science. Science is meant to be studied, as well as learned from. Removing the human factor would get rid of the question "why" that so many scientists have asked, leading us to what we know now.

This hoax can be related back to every day life. As humans, we cannot always take everything for what someone says it is. It is in our nature to want to be right, but also to fall short, and be wrong. Life, and science, is about discovering ideas for ourselves, and working through our own process of belief.

Analogy and Homology

Humans and bats share homologous traits. The front limbs of both humans and bats have the same general structure. Both species's limbs (specifically arms in the case of humans) end in five digits. These structures do not look similar to the human eye. A bat has four phalanges and a thumb or "claw." The thumb is the only digit that has an ranged of motion separate from the rest. In comparison, human hands have full range of motion— making a fist, holding/grabbing items, moving fingers individually. Humans and bats use their front limbs for different actions, explaining why the structures look different. 

Originally, the common ancestor was that of a mammal, more specifically a vertebrate. This homologous trait would have had to be passed down from ancestors who had skeletons. 

  

Sharks and dolphins share the trait of having fins. This trait is analogous. Both species use their find for movement in the water. Although these traits look similar, a shark's fin is mainly cartilage while a dolphin's fin does not have internal support within the structure. Both fins allow for the shark or dolphin to swim— movement is the main purpose. Sharks came from a lineage of fish while dolphins are mammals. 

Sharks were swimming in the water while dolphins were still, at a time before they evolved, inhabiting land. It is possibly they a common ancestor could have possessed this trait, but it is not genetically related. Fins on dolphins are a sign of evolution.