Question: Was this a mistake or a case of fraud?

(Posted by: Jim on 2009-11-10 09:14:37)

Archaeoraptor is the name assigned in 1999 to a fossil from China in an article published in National Geographic magazine. The magazine claimed that the fossil was a "missing link " between birds and terrestrial theropod dinosaurs. It led to a scandal when it was proven to be a forgery. Archaeoraptor was constructed from rearranged pieces of real fossils from different species. The head and upper body actually belong to a specimen of the primitive fossil bird Yanornis. The tail belongs to a small winged dromaeosaur, Microraptor. The legs and feet belong to an as yet unknown animal. The scandal brought attention to illegal fossil deals conducted in China. It also highlighted the need for close scientific scrutiny of purported "missing links "... Wikipedia Thanks Matt, It was a long read, but well worth it.

Posted by: Brother Handcannon on 2009-11-10, 09:18:28

Right, because you can believe everything you read on WIKIFUCKINGPEDIA edit: not saying it's untrue, but please use a reliable source. @Jeancommunicates: Most of the time, the easy thing and the right thing are mutually exclusive (or so you can understand, "they ain't got no way to go together ").

Posted by: oge retlA s'oge retlA yM on 2009-11-10, 09:18:28

Damn Chinese, ruining everything!

Posted by: gjmb1960 on 2009-11-10, 09:21:36

I dont know why you post this but they never found the bones of any god. if this doesnt proof that god doesnt exist , why should a fraudulous fosille proof then that evolution and more generally science is false ?

Posted by: Benji on 2009-11-10, 09:21:40

National Geographic is not a peer reviewed publication and it got duped by the fraud.

Posted by: mariposa on 2009-11-10, 09:21:44

Wow I have heard of knock off purses, shoes designer clothing from the Chinese but knock off fossils? That is hilarious! Knock off fossils PUUUAAH!

Posted by: lovely green eyes on 2009-11-10, 09:22:44

An hoax, or a fraud. The director of the museum where this specimen was displayed knew about it and they had to publicly apologize

Posted by: Douglas on 2009-11-10, 09:23:12

Did they ever figure out or create a name for the legs n feet. Oh my God what was it? Why waste time on possible fraud in such a speculative field? NEW bones!

Posted by: Random Panther again on 2009-11-10, 09:25:24

Perhaps you should ask in the appropiate section. If it's on Wikipedia it must be true. It was a hoax perpatrated by fossil dealer to increase the price of the fossil.

Posted by: richter_8_6 on 2009-11-10, 09:27:42

I'm assuming this is in R &S as evidence against evolution. I would say this would have to be intentional fraud; how would those pieces wind up together in that configuration otherwise? Regardless, it still fails to logically explain how fossils millions of years old exist on a planet that supposedly is only a few thousand years old, according to the Bible.

Posted by: Jeancommunicates on 2009-11-10, 09:30:11

All of the assumed "missing links " have been frauds. How do you make a missing link out of a pig's tooth? Evolution is the devil's lie. If all this took millions and billions of years, the earth moon and mars couldn't hold the population of humans. There are very few things that man can use to assume millions and billions of years is possible. The Geologists are quite circular and the different eras of history are manmade. It is quite easy to believe in God, but quite difficult to believe in evolution.

Posted by: Matt on 2009-11-10, 10:31:44

In July 1998, the prestigious National Geographic magazine published a monumental article; Dinosaurs Take Wing, which at long last, definitively proved the truths of evolution. Evolutionary biologists were ecstatic. A fossil, named Archaeoraptor liaoningensis, was finally discovered that filled in the gaps in their popular “dinosaur to bird� scenario because it manifested the long, bony tail of dromaeosaurid dinosaurs along with the specialized shoulder and chest of birds. It matched the criteria that evolutionary biologists were always hoping for to prove that birds evolved from the dinosaur. The fossil was discovered at Xiasanjiazi in China’s northeastern Liaoning Province, and appeared to have the body of a primitive bird with the teeth and tail of a small, terrestrial dinosaur or dromaeosaur. I feel a ting of empathy for the pathetic turn of events when I relate this story, as it does not have a happy ending for some. Quite unfortunate for evolution religionists, it turns out the entire fossil was a fraud. Dr. Storrs L. Olson, the eminent curator of birds at the prestigious Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History immediately recognized the scandal. In an “open letter� dated November 1, 1999, and addressed to Dr. Peter Raven, Secretary of the National Geographic Society Committee for Research and Exploration, Olson verbally castigated the Society, Dr. Raven, Christopher P. Sloan (author of the National Geographic article), and Bill Allen, the magazine’s editor, for what he called “an all-time low for engaging in sensationalistic, unsubstantiated, tabloid journalism.� Prior to the publication of the article “Dinosaurs Take Wing� in the July 1998 National Geographic, Lou Mazzatenta, the photographer for Sloan’s article, invited me to the National Geographic Society to review his photographs of Chinese fossils and to comment on the slant being given to the story. At that time, I tried to interject the fact that strongly-supported alternative viewpoints existed to what National Geographic intended to present, but it eventually became clear to me that National Geographic was not interested in anything other than the prevailing dogma that birds evolved from dinosaurs. Sloan’s article takes prejudice to an entirely new level and consists in large part of unverifiable or undocumented information that “makes� the news rather than reporting it. His bald statement that “we can now say that birds are theropods just as confidently as we say that humans are mammals� is not even suggested as reflecting the views of a particular scientist or group of scientists, so that it figures as little more than editorial propagandizing. This melodramatic assertion had already been disproven by recent studies of embryology and comparative morphology, which, of course, are never mentioned… The idea of feathered dinosaurs and the theropod origin of birds is being actively promulgated by a cadre of zealous scientists acting in concert with certain editors at Nature and National Geographic who themselves have become outspoken and highly biased proselytizers of the faith. Truth and careful scientific weighing of evidence have been among the first casualties in their program, which is now fast becoming one of the grander scientific hoaxes of our age… National Geographic found itself in the embarrassing position of having to retract the entire article because, as it turned out, the Archaeoraptor fossil was a fake—a neatly contrived composite of a bird and a dinosaur tail! Seven months later, the October 2000 issue of National Geographic contained a comprehensive article by veteran investigative reporter Lewis M. Simons, describing how this ridiculous hoax occurred. In his National Geographic article, Simons explained how farmers in many regions of China have made a very profitable hobby of selling the fossils they find. The only problem is that these farmers realize that fossil fanciers prefer specimens assembled and suitable for display. Therefore, on occasion the farmers will “doctor� the fossils to follow basic market economics and thus increase the value of their finds. Archaeoraptor actually “evolved� in a Chinese farmhouse where homemade paste was used to glue together two completely different fossils. The result was the now-famous (or infamous, as the case may be) “missing link� that allegedly had the body of a primitive bird with the teeth and the tail of a terrestrial dinosaur. We see from the above that science is as fallible as any other area of human investigation.

Posted by: Innocent Victim on 2009-11-10, 10:42:04

Tell me, who was it that uncovered the fraud? Was it scientists, or someone from your crowd? Science is self-correcting, which is why it can be trusted - unlike religion.