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Fossil Hoax: Archaeoraptor - The Piltdown Bird

Also known as the Piltdown Turkey and Piltdown Chicken

The Event

In November of 1999 National Geographic ran an article about a newly-found missing link (Archaeoraptor) between reptiles and birds.  Unfortunately, it was a fraud.  It was composed of parts of various creatures and made to look like a missing link.

There were several red flags that should have prevented National Geographic from publishing the Archaeoraptor article.  There was evidence from the start that the fossil had been pieced together.  Attempts to have the article peer reviewed by Nature and Science failed.  This, in itself, should have stopped National Geographic from publishing the article.  But, in their eagerness to break the story, they went ahead.  Other scientists, such as a curator at the National Museum of Natural History, the blasted the article for publishing unconfirmed information that had not been peer reviewed.  Less than two months later, paleontologist Xu Xing proved that the fossil was a hoax.  While National Geographic showed a great lack of judgment in publishing this article before all the facts were known, to their credit, when confronted with the evidence that Archaeoraptor was a fake, they ran an article exposing their mistake.

Creationists View

This case illustrates again, as have so many others in the past, that evolutionists are ever ready to jump to the flimsiest conclusion in an attempt to support their bankrupt theory of organic evolution.  It happened with the “Nebraska Man” - a supposed pre-human specimen manufactured from one “tooth,” that figured prominently in the Scopes Trial - that tooth turned out to be a mere pig’s tooth.

Those who are so easily intimidated by every “scientific” announcement from the evolutionary community ought to learn something from this case.  Don’t believe every pronouncement from the disciples of Darwin.  All too often, their “desire” is the father of the “evidence.”  ChristianCourier

 

http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs/4208news2-3-2000.asp

Evolutionists View

This was just someone who was able to make a quick buck with a fake fossil and was able to fool National Geographic.   Analysis by scientists easily showed that Archaeoraptor was a hoax.  National Geographic could have saved themselves a lot of embarrassment if they had either waited for the complete analysis or followed standard scientific procedures and had the article peer reviewed before publishing.  The fact that the two other publications it was sent to for peer review rejected it should have stopped them in their tracks.  See Lesson From Cold Fusion or Beware of Science by Press Conference.  The lifespan of this hoax was just a couple of months and, more than anything else, it demonstrates the high integrity of the scientific community.  When presented with what appeared to be evidence to support their view, the scientists quickly and without hesitation exposed Archaeoraptor as a hoax.

Want to learn more?

• Fossil Hoaxes
• National Geographic details their mistakes
• http://www.trueorigin.org/ng_ap01.asp
• http://www.arn.org/docs/pearcey/np_hespotlight0300.htm

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006-04-26 Anonymous, Atheistic Evolutionist, wrote
Interesting, Factual, Fair and Balanced