The Piltdown Hoax

The Piltdown Hoax

In 1912, in southeast England, in the village of Piltdown, an amateur archeologist, Charles Dawson found an ancient human skull. This discovery was important because it was the first primitive remains found in England and they were possibly the oldest as well. After the discovery, Dawson invited a member of the National History Museum, a leading geologist, Arthur Smith Woodward and French paleontologist, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin to join in the discovery. These 3 men found multiple finds at the site. Dawson soon located a jaw, from the same skull that was found earlier. It was the missing link of apes and humans. The jaw bone was that of an ape and the teeth looked human, proving the evolution theory. This thrilled the science community, and set the new tone of the link between apes and humans. Future studies were even based off of this find.

Later however, fossils were found in Asia and Africa, but these were less human-like but lived after Piltdown Man. These findings questioned the advancement of the Piltdown Man and the evolutionary process. It wasn’t until 1949 that fluorine was introduced to measure the age of fossils. This test was performed and stated that Piltdown man was much younger than originally stated. Then, in 1953, a full analysis was completed proving that Piltdown Man was a modified female orangutan skull that was modified. Scientists were obviously stunned at these findings and realized that not all scientists are going to be honest about their findings.

Human faults are normally positive in science because accidents lead to discoveries, such as penicillin! However, the fault recognized in the Piltdown Man was greed. This type of self-centered act threw off scientists and their research. Had Piltdown Man never been “created” scientists may have been on a different research path that may have lead them down a more successful road; however, this also may have been one of the best things to happen to science as it taught a very valuable lesson on the importance of scientific tests and proving discoveries.

The processes that became available to science were extremely helpful in revealing the skull was fraudulent. The starting point to this realization was the fluorine test. The fluorine test was able to prove that Piltdown Man wasn’t nearly as old as what they had once thought. This opened the doors to many more tests revealing the filing marks on the teeth, cuts were made to the structure and the stains on the bones were falsified.

As previously stated, removing the “human” factor isn’t the way to go. Human mistakes and thoughts are a great asset to discovery. Piltdown Man wasn’t an error, it was a bad judgment in believing in a scientist. Fortunately, we have tests today that assist the science community in testing the validity of things. This allows us to keep the “human” factor that science/discovery depends on.

The life lesson here is that not everyone can be trusted, and those you think can be trusted might not be trustworthy. Some things can be taken at face value, but something important should be questioned or at the very least, verified.

Dentition Patterns

Dentition Patterns:

Lemurs:

Lemurs are arboreal – they live in trees. Lemurs can easily adapt to any environment which allows them to live all over the place, but they are mainly found in rainforests.

Lemurs are herbivores and rely on a variety of food for survival but their main diet is nuts and fruits. The dentition pattern of a lemur is 2-1-3-3 (incisors, canine, premolars, molars). The lemur’s incisors are mainly used for grooming and are commonly broken.

 

Spider Monkey:

Spider monkeys live in rainforest areas, preferably with a canopy of trees. They are usually in moist areas but will live in dryer locations if they must.

The diet of a spider monkey is mainly fruits. If they must, they will eat other items, but they swallow them whole. They will eat sap or tree bark if they must. The dentition pattern of a spider monkey is 2-1-3-3.

Baboon:
Baboons can be found in tropical or dry areas. They are very versatile primates. They spend a great deal of time both in the tress and on the land. A change to their environment doesn’t seem to bother them.

Due to their versatility of land and trees, their diet can differ. Baboons mainly consume plants but they will also eat insects and small animals. The dentition pattern of a baboon is 2-1-2-3.

Gibbon:
Like lemurs, gibbons are arboreal – they live in trees, in tropical regions.

The majority of a gibbon’s diet is fruit; however, they also consume many other different foods found in the trees - such as twigs, leaves, flowers, insects, and eggs. The dentition pattern of a gibbon is 2-1-2-3.

Chimpanzee:

Chimpanzees are very adaptable and dwell in rainforests, woodlands, and grasslands. Chimpanzees spend much of their time in trees for mobility, shelter, and food sources.

Chimps normally consume a diet of fruits and plants, but they also eat other things such as small animals and insects. The dentition pattern of a chimpanzee is 2-1-2-3.

In Summary:

All of these primates are heterodonts. They each have a combination of incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. The lemurs and the spider monkeys share the same pattern of 2-1-3-3 where the baboons, gibbons, and chimpanzees share the pattern of 2-1-2-3.

The canines on these primates are used to tear through their food, although the sizes of the canines differ for each primate. Lemurs and spider monkeys have smaller canines due to their restricted diet. The chimpanzees, baboons, and gibbons consume small animals and insects, so these primates have larger canines. The baboon, gibbon, and chimpanzee’s canine is also used for intimidation.

As all of these primates are tree-dwelling, their dentition pattern is matched for consuming a diet that can be found in the trees.

 

Analogy & Homology

For your homologous traits provide the following information:

a.       Briefly describe the two different species that possess the homologous trait.

-          The two species that represent the homologous trait are the alligator and the bat. Both species possess the same “arm” structure.

 

b.      Describe the homologous trait of each species, focusing on the differences in structure and function of the trait. Why do these homologous traits exhibit differences between the two species? Make sure your explanation is clear and complete.

-          Both species possess the same “arm” structure. The bat’s wing and the alligator’s front legs both have a humorous, radius, ulna, and carpals. Both of these species use their “arms” to eat and maneuver around. The differences in the traits are the following. The bat’s wing structure helps support and manipulate the bat to fly where the alligator’s assist with running and propelling itself through the water.

 

c.       Who was (generally, not specifically) the common ancestor of these two species and how do you know that ancestor possessed this homologous trait?  

-          The bat and the alligator share a common ancestor that also shared the same anatomical “arm” structure. The common ancestor of the reptile and the mammal is the amniotes.

 

d.      Provide an image of each species in this comparison.

 

For your analogous traits provide the following information:

a.        Briefly describe the two different species that possess the analogous trait.

-          The two different species that possess the analogous trait are the koala bear and the squirrel. Both species inherited the ability to digest poisons.

b.      Describe the analogous trait of each species, focusing on the similarities in structure and function of the trait. Clearly explain why these analogous traits exhibit similarities between the two species.

-          Over time, both the squirrel and the koala bear were able to digest poisons. The koala bear’s main source of food is the eucalyptus leaves. These leaves are poisonous to most animals. Over time, the koala bears became tree dwelling animals, and the eucalyptus leaves became their main source of food. The koala bears developed special bacteria in their stomachs that break down the toxins from the eucalyptus leaves. The squirrels as well developed the ability to eat and digest toxins for tree sourced food. They developed special saliva to help process the food that carries tannin, the toxic chemical. Acorns is a common food that carries tannin.

c.       All pairs of organisms share some common ancestor if you go back far enough in time. Did the common ancestor of these two species possess this analogous trait? Why or why not?

-          The koala bear and the squirrel do not have a common ancestor that possessed this analogous trait. The ability to eat and digest the poisons were the result of a common environmental pressure that caused both species to develop a similar adaptation to that stress, parallel evolution. It indicates a genetic relationship that exists between these species.

d.      Provide an image of each species in this comparison.

 

 

 

Protein Synthesis

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