Nebraska Man
Encyclopedia
Nebraska Man was a name applied by the popular press to Hesperopithecus haroldcookii, a putative species of ape. Hesperopithecus meant "ape of the western world," and it was heralded as the first higher primate of North America
. Although it does not appear to be a deliberate hoax, this original classification proved to be a mistake.
It was originally described by Henry Fairfield Osborn
in 1922, on the basis of a tooth that rancher and geologist Harold Cook found in Nebraska
in 1917. An illustration of H. haroldcookii was done by artist Amédée Forestier
, who modeled the drawing on the proportions of "Pithecanthropus" (now Homo erectus
), the "Java ape-man
," for the Illustrated London News
. Osborn was not impressed with the illustration, calling it: "a figment of the imagination of no scientific value, and undoubtedly inaccurate."
Further field work on the site in 1925 revealed that the tooth was incorrectly identified. Other parts of the skeleton were also found. According to these newly discovered pieces, the tooth belonged neither to a man nor to an ape, but to a fossil of an extinct genus of peccary
called Prosthennops, and its identification as an ape was retracted in the journal Science
in 1927.
Although the identity of H. haroldcookii did not achieve general acceptance in the scientific community, and although the species was retracted a decade after its discovery, critics of evolution
have promoted this episode as an example of the many scientific errors that can ultimately undermine the credibility of how paleontology
and hominid evolution theories are crafted, and how such information is peer reviewed or accepted as mainstream knowledge. The fact that the proposal of this species was eventually rejected by the scientific community as being obviously flawed does, however, work in favor of the scientific method, which constantly seeks to critique and validate its theories, and to remove those that do not stand up to evidence.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Although it does not appear to be a deliberate hoax, this original classification proved to be a mistake.
It was originally described by Henry Fairfield Osborn
Henry Fairfield Osborn
Henry Fairfield Osborn, Sr. ForMemRS was an American geologist, paleontologist, and eugenicist.-Early life and career:...
in 1922, on the basis of a tooth that rancher and geologist Harold Cook found in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
in 1917. An illustration of H. haroldcookii was done by artist Amédée Forestier
Amédée Forestier
Sir Amédée Forestier was an Anglo-French artist and illustrator who specialised in historical and prehistoric scenes, and landscapes.-Life and work:...
, who modeled the drawing on the proportions of "Pithecanthropus" (now Homo erectus
Homo erectus
Homo erectus is an extinct species of hominid that lived from the end of the Pliocene epoch to the later Pleistocene, about . The species originated in Africa and spread as far as India, China and Java. There is still disagreement on the subject of the classification, ancestry, and progeny of H...
), the "Java ape-man
Java Man
Java Man is the name given to fossils discovered in 1891 at Trinil - Ngawi Regency on the banks of the Solo River in East Java, Indonesia, one of the first known specimens of Homo erectus...
," for the Illustrated London News
Illustrated London News
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper; the first issue appeared on Saturday 14 May 1842. It was published weekly until 1971 and then increasingly less frequently until publication ceased in 2003.-History:...
. Osborn was not impressed with the illustration, calling it: "a figment of the imagination of no scientific value, and undoubtedly inaccurate."
Further field work on the site in 1925 revealed that the tooth was incorrectly identified. Other parts of the skeleton were also found. According to these newly discovered pieces, the tooth belonged neither to a man nor to an ape, but to a fossil of an extinct genus of peccary
Peccary
A peccary is a medium-sized mammal of the family Tayassuidae, or New World Pigs. Peccaries are members of the artiodactyl suborder Suina, as are the pig family and possibly the hippopotamus family...
called Prosthennops, and its identification as an ape was retracted in the journal Science
Science (journal)
Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
in 1927.
Although the identity of H. haroldcookii did not achieve general acceptance in the scientific community, and although the species was retracted a decade after its discovery, critics of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
have promoted this episode as an example of the many scientific errors that can ultimately undermine the credibility of how paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
and hominid evolution theories are crafted, and how such information is peer reviewed or accepted as mainstream knowledge. The fact that the proposal of this species was eventually rejected by the scientific community as being obviously flawed does, however, work in favor of the scientific method, which constantly seeks to critique and validate its theories, and to remove those that do not stand up to evidence.
Further reading
- Gould S.J. (1991): An essay on a pig roast. In Bully for brontosaurus. (pp. 432-47). New York: W.W.Norton ISBN 0-393-30857-X
- Brian Regal. Henry Fairfield Osborn: Race and the Search for the Origins of Man (Aldershot, UK: Ashgate, 2002).
External links
- Nebraska Man at the TalkOrigins ArchiveTalkOrigins ArchiveThe TalkOrigins Archive is a website that presents mainstream science perspectives on the antievolution claims of young-earth, old-earth, and "intelligent design" creationists...