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Anthropologist resigns in 'dating disaster'
Worlnetdaily ^ | February 19, 2005 | unattributed

Posted on 02/19/2005 7:36:30 AM PST by Woodworker

Panel says professor of human origins made up data, plagiarized works

A flamboyant anthropology professor, whose work had been cited as evidence Neanderthal man once lived in Northern Europe, has resigned after a German university panel ruled he fabricated data and plagiarized the works of his colleagues. Reiner Protsch von Zieten, a Frankfurt university panel ruled, lied about the age of human skulls, dating them tens of thousands of years old, even though they were much younger, reports Deutsche Welle. "The commission finds that Prof. Protsch has forged and manipulated scientific facts over the past 30 years," the university said of the widely recognized expert in carbon data in a prepared statement.

Protsch's work first came under suspicion last year during a routine investigation of German prehistoric remains by two other anthropologists. "We had decided to subject many of these finds to modern techniques to check their authenticity so we sent them to Oxford [University] for testing," one of the researchers told The Sunday Telegraph. "It was a routine examination and in no way an attempt to discredit Prof. von Zieten." In their report, they called Protsch's 30 years of work a "dating disaster."

Among their findings was an age of only 3,300 years for the female "Bischof-Speyer" skeleton, found with unusually good teeth in Northern Germany, that Protsch dated to 21,300 years. Another dating error was identified for a skull found near Paderborn, Germany, that Protsch dated at 27,400 years old. It was believed to be the oldest human remain found in the region until the Oxford investigations indicated it belonged to an elderly man who died in 1750. The Herne anthropological museum, which owned the Paderborn skull, did its own tests following the unsettling results. "We had the skull cut open and it still smelt," said the museum's director. "We are naturally very disappointed."

Protsch, known for his love of Cuban cigars and Porsches, did not comment on the commission's findings, but in January he told the Frankfurter Neue Presse, "This was a court of inquisition. They don't have a single piece of hard evidence against me." The fallout from Protsch's false dating of northern European bone finds is only beginning.

Chris Stringer, a Stone Age specialist and head of human origins at London's Natural History Museum, said: "What was considered a major piece of evidence showing that the Neanderthals once lived in northern Europe has fallen by the wayside. We are having to rewrite prehistory." "Anthropology now has to revise its picture of modern man between 40,000 and 10,000 B.C.," added Thomas Terberger, an archaeologist at the University of Greifswald. Frankfurt University's president, Rudolf Steinberg, apologized for the university's failure to curb Protsch's misconduct for decades. "A lot of people looked the other way," he said.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Germany; News/Current Events; Technical
KEYWORDS: academia; anthropology; archaeology; c14; chrisstringer; crevolist; evolution; fraud; germany; ggg; godsgravesglyphs; history; neandertal; neandertals; neanderthal; neanderthals; protschvonzieten; radiocarbondating; rcdating; reinerprotsch; resignation; rudolfsteinberg; science; speyer; thomasterberger; vonzieten
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To: RaceBannon

"I aint got the time! I have homework, too! (night classes, going for an EE. )"

Yikes, another engineer that won't understand scientific method. This is getting scary. What Bible College offers and engineering degree?

You know that electricity is just a theory?


441 posted on 02/22/2005 5:55:25 AM PST by shubi (Peace through superior firepower.)
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To: shubi; Dimensio

Hmm, think I touched a nerve?


442 posted on 02/22/2005 5:57:23 AM PST by Ichneumon
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To: PatrickHenry

"What could possibly reduce an essentially good person to behaving the way they do?"

Fear. They are afraid of going to H E double hockey sticks, of losing their friends in church, of going against the authority of their pastor, of having their wife leave them if they don't believe in the literal Word etc.

A lot of it is cognitive dissonance caused by fear. Fear is a key factor in a lot of mental illness. The sad thing is that for Christians, Jesus alleviates fear through love and gives us peace in all circumstances. This is why Christian belief often heals mental illness.


443 posted on 02/22/2005 6:00:04 AM PST by shubi (Peace through superior firepower.)
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To: Ichneumon

You touched a nerve with a cattle prod. LOL


444 posted on 02/22/2005 6:01:34 AM PST by shubi (Peace through superior firepower.)
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To: RaceBannon
Funny how this thread went from talking about an Anthropologist (scientist) who made up data (not surprising), plagiarized works (not surprising), and fooled the public for many years, to an attack on creationists. This dude still has science textbooks in circulation! Of course, none of the 'scientists' here give a crap about that.

Do the evo's have ANY idea how silly they look on this thread. It's hilarious!


445 posted on 02/22/2005 6:06:25 AM PST by Michael_Michaelangelo (The best theory is not ipso facto a good theory. Lots of links on my homepage...)
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To: shubi
You touched a nerve with a cattle prod. LOL

Golly, I wish I had't made that comment about "cut-and-paste". Really.

446 posted on 02/22/2005 6:07:03 AM PST by Thatcherite (Conservative and Biblical Literalist are not synonymous)
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To: shubi
What Bible College offers and engineering degree?

Huh? Where did you get *your* degree, Shubi? You have a Ph.D, right?

447 posted on 02/22/2005 6:07:41 AM PST by Michael_Michaelangelo (The best theory is not ipso facto a good theory. Lots of links on my homepage...)
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To: Michael_Michaelangelo

I have a Dr. in ministry-six years of seminary.


448 posted on 02/22/2005 6:10:59 AM PST by shubi (Peace through superior firepower.)
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To: Michael_Michaelangelo

Anthropologists are closer to the semi-science of sociology than they are to the real science of biology. So, we have that going for us. ;-)


449 posted on 02/22/2005 6:12:25 AM PST by shubi (Peace through superior firepower.)
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To: Thatcherite

Everyone is good at something. Race is really good at cutting and pasting.


450 posted on 02/22/2005 6:14:51 AM PST by shubi (Peace through superior firepower.)
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To: shubi
Anthropologists are closer to the semi-science of sociology than they are to the real science of biology.

Interesting.

451 posted on 02/22/2005 6:16:59 AM PST by Michael_Michaelangelo (The best theory is not ipso facto a good theory. Lots of links on my homepage...)
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To: shubi
Everyone is good at something. Race is really good at cutting and pasting.

Actually, if he were actually good at it, he'd cut-and-paste material that was both valid and relevant.

452 posted on 02/22/2005 6:17:40 AM PST by Ichneumon
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To: Ichneumon
Actually, if he were actually good at it, he'd cut-and-paste material that was both valid and relevant.

Yeah, he can manage the following:

invalid and irrelevant

valid and irrelevant

invalid and relevant

Its just the remaining possibility (as you've pointed out) that proves out of his reach. ;)

453 posted on 02/22/2005 6:22:27 AM PST by Thatcherite (Conservative and Biblical Literalist are not synonymous)
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To: RaceBannon; Dimensio; shubi; PatrickHenry; Thatcherite; Michael_Michaelangelo
This is a spiritual battle. You need to believe what the Bible says. All the science in the world will not convert someone who is dead in their sins, you need to be converted. I will no longer show you the science that proves you wrong. I have shown you enough of the sciece that proves you wrong that if oyu were intellectually honest, you would be admitting some things right now, thinking of others that challenged your present train of thought. You need to be saved.

At pain of the rack, and the purification of the stake, no doubt.


454 posted on 02/22/2005 6:25:23 AM PST by Ichneumon
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To: Thatcherite

And he was complaining about YOU spamming. LOL!


455 posted on 02/22/2005 6:29:30 AM PST by Long Cut (The Constitution...the NATOPS of America!)
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To: Ichneumon
What do you expect? Scientists are now saying it's "in the genes."

Is Religion All in the Genes?

...modern science is turning up a possible reason why the religious right is flourishing and secular liberals aren't: instinct. It turns out that our DNA may predispose humans toward religious faith.

You can't *stop* evolution, Itchi, you can only hope to contain it. :)

456 posted on 02/22/2005 6:31:51 AM PST by Michael_Michaelangelo (The best theory is not ipso facto a good theory. Lots of links on my homepage...)
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To: RaceBannon
I will no longer show you the science that proves you wrong.

To do something "no longer" implies that you were doing it in the first place. I must have missed that bit.

I was hoping that you'd start showing us some valid science at some stage, rather than just cut-and-pasting or paraphrasing a pile of junky discredited arguments from YEC websites and publications.

BTW the "I never read Kent Hovind" when you'd posted a big section of text that matched word-for-word with his website was superb. If Race didn't exist those of us on the side of mainstream science would have to make him up.

457 posted on 02/22/2005 6:32:29 AM PST by Thatcherite (Conservative and Biblical Literalist are not synonymous)
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To: Michael_Michaelangelo; All
"Do the evo's have ANY idea how silly they look on this thread. It's hilarious!"

Not nearly as funny as the creationists who continually post lies and misinformation which has been repeatedly debunked, all the while complaining of "spamming", as well as those who offer them loud hosannahs for it.

Not to mention the total refusal to retract or correct the misstatements.

458 posted on 02/22/2005 6:32:50 AM PST by Long Cut (The Constitution...the NATOPS of America!)
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To: Long Cut

How do you know anything has been debunked? Have you taken the time to study the rebuttals in depth, or are you just an evo groupie?


459 posted on 02/22/2005 6:34:59 AM PST by Michael_Michaelangelo (The best theory is not ipso facto a good theory. Lots of links on my homepage...)
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To: Long Cut

And what is it with all the ex-Navy guys being atheists and evolutionists? Seems every evo profile I look at reveals the person to be ex-Navy. Oh - and that person usually owns a cat.


460 posted on 02/22/2005 6:37:10 AM PST by Michael_Michaelangelo (The best theory is not ipso facto a good theory. Lots of links on my homepage...)
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