the Piltdown Man

The Piltdown Man was a famous scientific hoax in the early 20th century claiming to be the fossilized remains of the earliest human ancestor. Discovered in England in 1912, it appeared to combine human-like skull features with ape-like jawbones. For decades, it influenced theories about human evolution. However, in 1953, scientists revealed it was a deliberate forgery, created by combining human and ape bones and staining them to appear ancient. The discovery exposed the importance of rigorous scientific testing and serves as a reminder of how assumptions can mislead research.