[ovrtaxt]

Well, I can sympathize. I have had a few dating disasters myself.

[Semper Paratus]

Should never have agreed to appear on "Blind Date".

[carlr]

"We had the skull cut open and it still smelt," said the museum's director. "We are naturally very disappointed."

Maybe I have a sick sense of humor but there is something strangely funny about that statement.

[Bahbah]

Funny goings on ping.

[TheGeezer]

Hmmmm...maybe he conformed his work to a modernist philosophy that demanded 20,000- to 30,000-year ages for human remains? I'm no creationist, but "having to rewrite history" is no minor assessment of what may be a major academic hoax, and one that lasted a lot longer, and had a lot more influence, than Piltdown Man.

Fascinating.

[elli1]

Professor Zeiten sounds just like the guy to help Ward Churchill validate his claims to being a Cherokee.

[Larry Lucido]

So he plagarized fabricated data?

[Larry Lucido]

Of course, I've fabricated data on a few of my first dates.

[TigersEye]

A flamboyant anthropology professor, ... fabricated data and plagiarized the works of his colleagues.

Time to switch specialties. He can start writing about firearms history for HCI.

[joshhiggins]

I'm not sure I understand how his falsifying the age of modern skulls could have any bearing on whether or not Neanderthals lived in northern europe. These seem unrelated.

[arthurus]

So what can you say? he's an anthro.

[eclectic]

Did you have to dig up your finds before you could date them?

[MinuteGal]

Someone should start a Hoaxster Hall of Fame for universities.

I'd begin by nominating Herr Protsch and Psycho-Ward Churchill.

Leni

[preacher]

There was an article in a news magazine several years ago.

The story was about how there were two groups of scientists were in disagreement as to the age of "Lucy", the name given to fossilized remains of a female human.

The disagreement was over many hundreds of thousands years in age of the fossil. The title of the article was:
"Problems In Dating Older Women."

[ASA Vet]

Ping

[martin_fierro]

Pseudo Old Stuff Ping.

[elli1]

Anthropologist turns heads with mystery dates

Munich - A German anthropologist is facing accusations of misconduct from the University of Frankfurt, after concerns came to light about his research and apparent attempts to sell university property.

According to the German news magazine Der Spiegel, Reiner Protsch von Zieten carbon-dated several human skulls from Germany and found them to be up to 30,000 years old. Other labs date the bones at just 7,000–8,000 years old. Protsch von Zieten's results have been used to back controversial hypotheses on prehistoric population movements in central Europe. It is unclear how Protsch von Zieten managed to get such radically different results; the university says that he stands by his findings.

Protsch von Zieten was suspended from the university in April, after allegedly attempting to sell more than 200 institute-owned ape skulls to collectors in the United States. According to the university, Protsch von Zieten says he owns the skulls himself. Legal proceedings in this case are pending.

Nature article

[dennisw]

Protsch, known for his love of Cuban cigars and Porsches......

Crime does pay! For 30 years at least. He collected a very good university salary and other payoffs though fraud.

[Just mythoughts]

Oh my, where is the E crowd, there has got to be an evolutionary explanation for this.

[yankeedame]

Well, here he is...Mr. Flamboyance himself....Herr Professor

Reiner Protsch von Zieten

(Maybe it's me, but somehow I just can't equate the words "flamboyant" and "anthropologist".)

[Fishing-guy]

I was going to say that was one bad date. Alas, they were talking about a totally different dating that I have no interest in.