Some scientific frauds

N-rays (1903) A reported faint visual effect that experimenters could still "see" even when the supposed causative element in their apparatus had been secretly disconnected.

First reproducible artificial diamond (1955) Originally reported in Nature in 1955 and later. It later transpired that diamond synthesis should not have been possible with the apparatus. Subsequent analysis indicated that the first gemstone, which secured further funding, was natural rather than synthetic. Subsequent artificial diamonds are assumed to be genuine.

Oops-Leon Particle (1976) Data from Fermilab in 1976 appeared to indicate a new particle at about 6 GeV which decayed into electron-positron pairs. Subsequent data and analysis indicated that the apparent peak resulted from random noise. The name is a pun on upsilon, the proposed name for the new particle and the principal investigator.

Infinite Dilution of Antibodies (1988) A French immunologist who in 1988 published a paper in the prestigious scientific journal Nature describing the action of very high dilutions of anti-IgE antibody on the degranulation of human basophils, findings which seemed to support the concept of homeopathy. Biologists were puzzled by the immunologist's results, as only molecules of water, and no molecules of the original antibody, remained in these high dilutions. The immunologist concluded that the configuration of molecules in water was biologically active. Subsequent investigations have not supported hiss findings, which are now cited as an example of pathological science.

Cold fusion (1989) Since the announcement of two scientists in 1989, cold fusion has been considered to be an example of a pathological science. Two panels convened by the US Department of Energy, one in 1989 and a second in 2004, did not recommend a dedicated federal program for cold fusion research. In 2007 Nature reported that the American Chemical Society would host an invited symposium on cold fusion and low energy nuclear reactions at their national meeting for the first time in many years.

Dubious canal-ray experiments (1926) One german physicist had been considered one of the best experimenters of his time, until he was forced to admit that his notable track record was at least partly due to the fabrication of results.

Fabricated data Materials physics (~1999) A succession of high-profile peer-reviewed papers previously published by another German physicist subsequently found to be using obviously fabricated data.

Element 118 (1999) (ununoctium) was announced, then the announcement withdrawn by Berkeley after claims of irreproducibility. The researcher involved, a Bulgarian researcher in the nuclear chemistry, denies doing anything wrong. http://en.wikipedia.org/

Recapitulation Theory; A German biologist, naturalist, philosopher, physician and professor was one of the earliest advocates of the Recapitulation Theory, or, as it is more familiarly called: "Ontogeny recapitulates Phylogeny." This is to say that the development of the foetus within the womb of the human mother goes through all of the stages of the phylum. From one cell... then multi-celled... then fish-like with gills... then ape-like with a tail... and finally it becomes a human being and recapitulates all of the supposed stages in the suppositious evolutionary history of man. However, some years later, when his sketches of the foetus were carefully considered and as more information about the foetus became known, distortions were seen which were determined to be intentional. The professor was tried by the Jena University Court and was found guilty. He "contritely" confessed his forgeries which had been made to supposedly support the doctrine of evolution. The head of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the world's most prestigious embryologists, had said that all of the data about the developing foetus is now known: that embryology offers no support for the theory of evolution whatsoever. Still millions and millions of students for over a hundred years have been taught the Recapitulation Theory: that "Ontogeny recapitulates Phylogeny"; that the growing foetus and the embryo support evolution. A deliberate lie!

Piltdown Man; Then, of course, there is the most famous hoax of all time: the famous Piltdown Man. In 1912, The Director of the British Museum of Natural History in London, and a medical doctor and amateur palaeontologist, discovered a mandible (jawbone) and part of a skull in a gravel pit near Piltdown, England. The jawbone, however, appeared very simian-like (ape-like) except for the fact that it did not contain the large teeth normally found in an ape jaw. Also, it was quite brown looking and obviously very, very old. The "discovery" was hailed as Eoanthropus dawsoni: the "Dawn man"; the premier "missing link". For 40 years millions of students looked at pictures of the reconstructed 'Dawn man', whose figure adorned every museum in the world. Here was the "missing link"! Forty years later, after the fluoride test was discovered, the skull and jawbone were tested with fluoride. As a result it was determined that the skull was not 500,000 years old as reported, but was only about 2,000 years old! And the jaw was only several dozens of years old! They then examined it under a microscope and found that the teeth had been filed down carefully to resemble human teeth. The whole thing had been stained with iron salts and bicromate to make it appear to be very old. It had been planted to be found, presumably by the amateur palaeontologist, who became famous for Eoanthropus dawsoni - a hoax which was used to move millions of students away from a belief in special Creation. The Piltdown Man proved to be a complete fraud!

Pithecanthropus; Then, of course, there is the famous Pithecanthropus erectus. Every student going to college felt that he had finally arrived when he could say "pithecanthropus"! It literally means "erect ape-man". Pithecanthropus was discovered by a Dutch paleoanthropologist, who went from Holland to Java for the purpose of discovering an ape-man. Now it does say something about scientific objectivity when one travels halfway around the world to find an ape-man and voila! - he finds an ape-man! However, he would not show his find to anyone else. All he would show was a plaster model that he had supposedly made from a skull. He had found a skull-cap and a femur (thigh bone). It was very obvious from the leg bone that this was human and the skull bone was very obviously simian in nature. Assuming they were from the same individual, he placed them together and called the association Pithecanthropus erectus. But he failed to tell the world certain things. He failed to tell them that the leg bone was found about 50 feet downstream from the skull bone. He also failed to tell them that at the same level as the ape-like skull of Pithecanthropus, he found two human skulls (known as Wadjak 1 and 2), with a cranial capacity of about 1550-1650 cc. (probably more than most of us have).

He kept these two very modern human skulls under the floorboards of his bedroom for 26 years because he knew that if he revealed that he found these at the same level and that they were obviously contemporary, then Pithecanthropus could not possibly be the progenitor of man. Before he died, he concluded that the skull belonged to a large gibbon and was not an ape-man of any sort.

Neanderthal Man; We then come to another famous "discovery": the Neanderthal Man. I am sure you are familiar with Homo neanderthalensis! Back in the last century, a number of these skeletons were found in the Neander Valley near Dusseldorf in Germany. They were reconstructed by a French palaeontologist. They then began to decorate all of the museums and textbooks in the world! You may recall pictures of the Neanderthal men. They were shown to be stooped over, walked on the outside of their feet; had a club over their shoulder, and dragged their wives along by the hair. They were the perfect ape-men! It was later discovered, not only that Neanderthal had rickets and osteoarthritis (which accounted for his stooped condition) but, furthermore, the palaeontologist, who had a full set of bones to work with, so misconstructed the bones as to make Neanderthal appear much like an ape. He arranged the bones in such an incredible way as to even take the big toe and turn it outward from the foot as if it were an opposable thumb like an ape; this feature presumably forced Neanderthal to walk on the outer part of his feet. One can hardly resist the conclusion that Boule "reconstructed" these creatures to make them look like apes. Now modern scientists have obviously concluded that this was a colossal blunder. It would be the nicest thing that could be said about it. But, again, millions were deceived.

Australopithicines; We now come to the Australopithicines or "Southern apes", as they are called. Palaeontologists now focused in on Africa where we find such famous names as Zinjanthropus, Homohabilis, Skull 1470, and "Lucy", one of the most recent finds. We are told quite assuredly that these are the forerunners of man. Well, is it so? Of course there are a number of very serious problems. Lord Solly Zuckerman, one of England's leading anatomists, has spent fifteen years examining the Australopithicines remains. He has concluded that they are fully ape. Dr. Charles Oxnard, formerly of the University of Chicago and now at the University of Southern California, has performed many computer multi-variant analyses on these bones and concluded that Australopithicines did not walk upright, as had been maintained before, but they were, rather, long-armed, knuckle-walkers. Not pre-human at all, but simply apes! Lord Zuckerman said that if man evolved from an ape ancestor, he did so without leaving a single trace in the fossil record. Is that the impression your children are getting in school? A young man who recently took a course in anthropology at the University of Florida told me he was very surprised that at the end of the course his professor had the integrity to tell the class that all that they had been told during the whole semester was purely speculation; that she did not have one single fact to back it up. http://www.cai.org/

The cranial capacity of some skulls that have been found around the world sooner point to a reversed evolution.

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Some scientific frauds and experimental errors