Saint Joseph’s University Science Discussion

In 1912, Charles Dawson claimed he had found the “missing link” between apes and humans. Nearly 50 years later, research proved it was all a fraud! As it turns out, Dawson filed down the teeth of a jaw from an orangutan and placed it with a modern human skull. More recently, researchers have uncovered all of the steps Dawson went through to pull of such an elaborate hoax.

Read more about the process of revealing Dawson was a fraud here. (Links to an external site.)

After reading the above article, in Assignment 1, describe how researchers unravelled the the Piltdown Man hoax. How did researchers begin to reveal the hoax once Charles Dawson died? What methods did scientists use to date the remains, and what evidence did they find that Dawson had tampered with the remains?

Then, describe two (2) methods modern researchers (in 2016) used to prove Piltdown Man was a fraudulent find. In your description, be sure to include information about the type of research that was done AND how that changed what researches know about Piltdown Man.

Finally, describe how the discovery of the forgery has impacted the scientific community and elaborate on how the scientific community should address new finds in the future.

In your essay, do no use direct quotations. You should be able to synthesize the information and put it into your own words, with your information cited properly (Author, date) within the text. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.

Requirements

One typed-page only, single-spaced and 12 point font. DO NOT GO OVER ONE PAGE (including references). Include your name at the top of the page and upload your assignment by the due date. Be concise and logical in your writing.

CRITERIAS

1. Revealing the hoax: Student fully describes how the Piltdown Man hoax was revealed, dating methods, and the evidence researchers uncovered showing Dawson tampered with the remains.

2. Modern Methods: Student fully describes two modern research methods used to prove the Piltdown Man was a hoax.

3. New Findings: Student fully describes how both modern research methods changed what we know about the Piltdown Man.

4. Scientific Impact: Student adequately discusses how the hoax impacted the scientific community and how new finds should be addressed in the future.

5. Formatting: The essay is the proper length and student properly cites information (Author, Date) and includes a reference list at the end of the essay. No direct quotations are used.

References

Szalay, Jessie. Sept. 30, 2016. “Piltdown Man: Infamous Fake Fossil” Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/56327-piltdown-man-hoax.html

Outline:

1. Introduction Paragraph
   1. Hook
   2. Overview and explanation
   3. Thesis
2. Body Paragraph 1: How did researchers begin to reveal the hoax once Charles Dawson died? What methods did scientists use to date the remains, and what evidence did they find that Dawson had tampered with the remains?
   1. Topic sentence
   2. Evidence 1
   3. Explanation 1
   4. Evidence 2
   5. Explanation 2
   6. Short conclusion and transition
3. Body Paragraph 2: Two methods modern researchers (in 2016) used to prove Piltdown Man was a fraudulent find.
   1. Topic sentence
   2. Evidence 1
   3. Explanation 1
   4. Evidence 2
   5. Explanation 2
   6. Short conclusion and transition
4. Body Paragraph 3: how the discovery of the forgery has impacted the scientific community and elaborate on how the scientific community should address new finds in the future.
   1. Topic sentence
   2. Evidence 1
   3. Explanation 1
   4. Evidence 2
   5. Explanation 2
   6. Short conclusion and transition
5. Conclusion Paragraph
   1. Restate the thesis
   2. Summary the paragraph
   3. Concluding thought