Anthropologist resigns in 'dating disaster'

Worlnetdaily ^ | February 19, 2005 | unattributed

[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.

[Terriergal]

Another evolutionist charlatan uncovered!

Go figure. They're cut from the same cloth as the religious charlatans (e.g. Benny Hinn and Paul Crouch). Maybe just not as talented at showmanship.

[blackie]

Speaking of religion ~ my favorite TV preacher just died: Dr Gene Scott.

He was a hoot. :)

[Dimensio]

I think the point is, even YOU wouldn't be so silly as to admit that software arises spontaneously, even something as error-ridden as Microslop... yet something infintely more complex and unnatural does, to you. Hm... seems like an intellectual disconnect there to me.... but again, that won't matter to those who've already pre-decided that there couldn't POSSIBLY be a transcendent intellect.

Yet another creationist dishonestly dodges the real question to delve into an irrelevant tangent.

[Michael_Michaelangelo]

Grebe joined Dow in 1921 -- immediately after receiving his BS degree in physics from the Case School of Applied Science -- and remained with the company for 41 years. In addition to his work as the founder and director of the Dow Physical Research Laboratory, he was a pioneer scientist in the field of nuclear and chemical research. He also made major contributions in the simplification of plastics processing and automatic control equipment.

But...but...he didn't understand *evolution*. :)

[Dimensio]

Darwin himself admitted that if even *one* instance exists which cannot be explained by evolution, then all of his theory falls apart.

Yet thus far, no one has come up with even one instance that cannot be explained by evolution. Sure, you have lying creationists who quote Darwin on the eye but they dishonestly ignore the subsequent paragraph where Darwin answers the very "unanswerable" question that he put forth. And then you have Michael Behe, whose arguments have already been thoroughly debunked.

Do you have an actual argument, or are you just going to pretend that evolution has already been falsified and that you don't have to provide any evidence for your position?

[jwalsh07]

Grebe was a creationist.

Just another Luddite, charalatan feeding at the government trough.

[Elsie]

How will we tell if this threshold has been crossed?

[Elsie]

Ok, I admit it: Your quotes.

[Elsie]

Only TWO from which to choose??


(Maybe it's one of which you haven't thought.)


[Thanks, Thatch!]

[Elsie]

His........


(Now you can be ___________.)

[Elsie]

<selective_quote>

 

 Material from the "e" side of the debate is desperately scrutinized for apparent (but actually non-existent) contradictions by the Demon and the thinking parts of Elsie's brain never get a look-in to examine the real argument.

 

</selective_quote>

 

This is NEVER done to the "C" side of the debate.

[Elsie]

<selective_quote>

 

 But...but...he didn't understand *evolution*.

 

</selective_quote>

 

Wrong emphasis...

 

But...but...he didn't understand evolution.

 

 

 

 

 

winkwinknugdenudge

[grey_whiskers]

Believing or not believing that angels and women at an early time in earth's history mated is not something that should cause division among the brethren.

Curve ball here.

Since the business about the "sons of God" mating with women is from a Hebrew source, what have the Talmudic scholars had to say about it?

Perspiring minds want to know!

Cheers!

[grey_whiskers]

That is what you guys don't get. Being a "scientist" is not the same thing as understanding evolution. You have to be an expert in the field, to have a valid opinion or at least understand something about the field.

Not necessarily, Shubi.

Recall that one of the strengths of the model is its use of data from divergent sources and fields--presumably, if a revolution occurred in one of those fields, on the order of QM or Relativity, which greatly impacted our current understanding of the world, evolutionary biology *would* be affected.
In which case, even those outside of the field of evolutionary biology could affect it.

Or to take a different example from a different field, today on Free Republic was about how transfers of blood platelets for clotting could transfer potentially hazardous infection, since the platelets are stored at room temperature. Even many practitioners in the field were unaware of the risk, but I'll bet a lot of lay people would have immediately asked the question "Room temperature? Isn't that RISKY?"

Cheers!

[Dimensio]

Only TWO from which to choose??

Okay, I admit, Thatch introduced a third option.

So, are you a liar, are you an idiot, or do you have some psychological disorder that prevents you from reading for context?

[shubi]

One of our mentally ill residents of our homeless housing ministry was murdered this morning. I won't be posting for awhile.

[Condorman]

If you're familiar with assembly language . . . then please ignore this and let me know so that I can find something more suitable

One might reasonably conclude that Elsie cannot follow simple instructions. Have you an alternate analogy?

[Dimensio]

Have you an alternate analogy?

Do you think that if I were to present an alternate analogy that Elsie would be any more honest in evaluating it?

[Condorman]

Do you think that if I were to present an alternate analogy that Elsie would be any more honest in evaluating it?

You're not losing your faith, are you?

[Condorman]

Do you think that if I were to present an alternate analogy that Elsie would be any more honest in evaluating it?

You're not losing your faith, are you?