> If further analysis somehow proves it’s the femur of “an
> opossum or something”, then that will also be published and
> discussed.
Yes, with no fanfare. Like the one column-inch in National Geographic for their cover story on the dino-bird, which turned out to be a total fraud.
Media hype and public awareness notwithstanding, it still will happen when and if new evidence is discovered. It’s how it’s designed to work.