The Upset Archaeologist
Trivia brain teasers have some element of trivia in them, but they are not just pure trivia questions.
A young archaeologist named Botch had dug up what he believed to be the missing link. Sure that he would be famous and receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants for further research, he promptly called some colleagues and held a press conference to unveil his findings. At the conference, Botch announced that he had found the jawbone and teeth from the famous prehistoric Nebraska man. When these ancient fossils were originally discovered, they were hailed as the best evidence of man's evolution ever found and led to the teaching of evolution in American schools. When he unveiled his findings the room quickly emptied as snickers and laughter filled the air. Poor Botch had made the same mistake so many of his colleagues had already made.
What was his mistake?
Answer
He assumed that what he had learned in school was actually correct, yet it was badly out dated and very inaccurate (unfortunately many north American schools use out dated text books). Nebraska man was proven to be a fraud shortly after its discovery (it was really an extinct pig). Surprisingly many fossils of ancient man are fakes or at best inconclusive, which is why evolution is still a theory and archaeologists like Botch are still searching for that missing link.
Hide
Comments
griphook  
Jun 10, 2003
| Very Cool. Botch botched it. |
Bobbrt
Jun 11, 2003
| Spreading a little propaganda there, OD-1? ;) |
Codammanus
Jun 11, 2003
| "I didn't see it at first, I heard it. I could tell it was bare, no garments, naked. I heard the ring and embraced it. I opened my eyes, and there was the truth."-Coda Van Newt |
scharfy 
Jun 12, 2003
| You make a point. Many text books schools give you are normally out dated. |
Fasil
Jun 13, 2003
| this isn't a teaser it is a history lesson. |
meskelly
Jun 26, 2003
| this is based on opinion, not fact
|
LAVASAW
Jul 31, 2003
| THis is the best teser EVA |
jimbo
Aug 23, 2003
| The scientific method holds that if the evidence supporting a theory is found to be flawed, then the theory should be abandoned. Theories are supposed to be based on scientific evidence. Interestingly, the evidence supporting Evolution has come and gone, been found to be flawed, replaced with new evidence and so on. However, the theory still remains, it's just the evidence that keeps on changing. While this does not necessarily disprove the theory of evolution, it certainly makes it unscientific. |
Bobbrt
Aug 26, 2003
| By your definition, Jimbo, every scientific principle in existence had to be proven correct the FIRST TIME it was tested, otherwise it would have been discarded. If scientists worked the way you are implying, we'd still be in the Stone Age, because hardly any experiment works perfectly the first time. The real beauty of the scientific world is that it corrects its mistakes. This teaser is a perfect example of how good the scientific community is at rooting out its own mistakes and correcting the issue. |
kcelf27
Apr 29, 2005
| Ok, I have to say a bit on evolution... I believe people of some form were created in some way. And it is a proven fact that people are taller now than way back when, living longer... and other such things have been proven that although we may not have come from a puddle, or monkeys, we HAVE changed over the "ka-jillion" years we've been here. |
phrebh
May 17, 2005
| It also should be pointed out that scientists don't use the word "theory" like laymen do. To laymen, a theory is just an idea of what could work, but to scientists that is a hypothesis. Everyone knows the Theory of Relativity, but no one calls Einstein an atheist for coming up with it. |
silly_goose
May 31, 2005
| kcelf, i think you're talking about microevolution. It is well known that things change over time...but it is totally different than macroevolution, when things change into different species...also, it's up for debate whether or not people are living longer....Methuselah, according to the Bible, lived for 900+ years...which is a lot longer than America's average of 89 years.
Just a little note from a silly person like me  |
zigthepig 
Jul 03, 2005
| anyway back to the tease. i didnt get it but it was very really absoulutly good 1 (velamagreatnessed!)  |
smarty_blondy
Oct 01, 2005
| Quite impressive, good job. |
paul726
Jun 06, 2006
| Bobbrt, you take such offense! If you take the time to dig, you'll find, in secular publications, the truth of what this teaser asserts. |
OldChinaHand
Aug 01, 2006
| The truth is out there. Someone, or something BBQ'd a pig a long time ago, in Nebraska. It's a good teaser. Nothing more.  |
eyenowhour
Dec 14, 2006
| LOL at OldChinaHand's comment. |
Back to Top
| |
|
