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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: MEGoody

You are just trying to frustrate Dimensio and turn him into Dementsio.


761 posted on 02/24/2005 1:13:16 PM PST by shubi (Peace through superior firepower.)
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To: Elsie

Presumably your point meant something to you when you typed it.

But it means nothing to me when I read it.

I guess you just don't want to admit quote-mining.


762 posted on 02/24/2005 1:32:08 PM PST by Thatcherite (Conservative and Biblical Literalist are not synonymous)
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To: Elsie
Then you should have made YOUR intentions more clear to begin with.

The context surrounding the question within the very post (that you didn't bother to quote -- you just selectively quoted two lines from my post, which indicates dishonesty on your part), in addition to the caveat that it would not be applicable should the subject have a working knowledge of assembly code should have very obviously implied the intentions. If you really did not understand my intentions, and you really weren't trying to be distractingly dishonest, then it only means that you lack fundamental reading comprehension skills.

Which is it? Are you lacking in integrity, or just intelligence?
763 posted on 02/24/2005 2:00:25 PM PST by Dimensio (http://angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif <-- required reading before you use your next apostrophe!)
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To: MEGoody
So yes, someone with no experience in coding can tell you whether or not you did a good job writing the code.

But you're not dealing with a finished product and, in this case, there is no finished product -- it's just a demo of programming ability and method. Even if you were working with a finished product, with hardware running the actual software, you wouldn't necessarily know if I used the most efficient methods because you may not be aware of the underlying memory requirements or whether or not the speed between your input and the response is as fast as it can be.

You're just dealing with my write-up of the solution. Given my write-up of the solution, can you tell me whether or not it is coded well? Use your abilities of deductive reasoning or -- if you are so educated -- your professional legal training to tell me whether or not my code is as efficiently designed as possible.
764 posted on 02/24/2005 2:03:06 PM PST by Dimensio (http://angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif <-- required reading before you use your next apostrophe!)
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To: js1138
I think if you saw any painting or depiction you would infer a history.

Well, anything not directly observed about the "painting" would of necessity be inferred.

The fact that you would class it a "painting" infers a judgement on your part.

765 posted on 02/24/2005 4:19:49 PM PST by AndrewC (Darwinian logic -- It is just-so if it is just-so)
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To: shubi; js1138
What about the appearance of the face of Jesus or Mary that no one drew on a building, rock etc.? How does Andrew tell whether someone drew those or not?

I suggest you avoid people selling New York bridges or prime real estate in Florida.

766 posted on 02/24/2005 4:23:26 PM PST by AndrewC (Darwinian logic -- It is just-so if it is just-so)
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To: Dimensio
Yes, I have. Now can you answer the question?

Then you know the answer.

767 posted on 02/24/2005 4:30:35 PM PST by AndrewC (Darwinian logic -- It is just-so if it is just-so)
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To: Matchett-PI
Lots of emotion and accusation, little substance.
768 posted on 02/24/2005 6:40:41 PM PST by Bellflower (A new day is Coming!)
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To: AndrewC

I suggest you be more logically consistent.

You tell one person you can't tell the difference between a design and non-design, then you avoid answering how you tell in a known naturally designed drawing.


769 posted on 02/24/2005 6:53:38 PM PST by shubi (Peace through superior firepower.)
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To: Matchett-PI
The site you have a link to about cults is a very good site. It doesn't have a thing that I could find about Chuck Missler or his church which is Calvary Chapel. Calvary Chapel has never been considered an occult by any of the many good organizations comparable to the one you linked that I often reference. I think you are confusing occults with churches that have non central beliefs that you do not ascribe to. I understood about the angels and sons of man long, long before I ever heard of Chuck Missler who, yes, also ascribes to the same non central belief. 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.
770 posted on 02/24/2005 7:48:00 PM PST by Bellflower (A new day is Coming!)
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To: shubi
You tell one person you can't tell the difference between a design and non-design,

Show me where I stated that. And some people have had chimps throw paint at a canvas and called it art. So what, I can tell a book from dropped set of typeset.

771 posted on 02/24/2005 8:37:37 PM PST by AndrewC (Darwinian logic -- It is just-so if it is just-so)
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To: RaceBannon

Some present-day skulls appear more robust than others and could pass for Neanderthal. A professor of mine one time made a joke about it, but I won't retell it; it would offend people from a certain state.


772 posted on 02/24/2005 8:49:33 PM PST by Nucluside
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To: Dimensio
If I could quote Wm. F. Buckley, as he referred to statements made by former Justice William O. Douglas: "If false analogies were horses, sententious idiots might ride
773 posted on 02/24/2005 8:55:03 PM PST by Nucluside
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To: jwalsh07; Junior
The statement is so eggregiously wrong, I'm surprised you choose to argue it.

Just like the Demonrats.

John J Grebe

http://www.plasticshalloffame.com/articles.php?articleId=63

Made important contributions to the plastics industry, including the development of polystyrene, Styrofoam, and Saran plastics.

Grebe personally held 64 patents at Dow Chemical Co. in electro-chemistry, power generation, synthesis of organic compounds, and air conditioning. He was honored with the Hyatt Award for his work on the production of pure styrene and its polymerization. For the federal government, Grebe designed atomic reactors for submarines.

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.

http://www.dow.com/dow_news/speeches/20011017_spe_stav.htm

Following in Dr. Dow's footsteps was another key scientist, John Grebe. He focused on converting batch processes to continuous processes – a major breakthrough leading to low-cost production – making possible the broad use of chemicals and plastics.

Grebe also hired Dow's first woman chemist, Sylvia Stoesser. The inhibitor she helped develop led to the successful commercialization of high-quality styrene and polystyrene.

One of Grebe's associates was Ralph Wiley, who in the 1930s made a chance discovery that led to the development of the SARAN family of plastic resins.

People like Dow, Grebe, Stoesser, Wiley, and their counterparts essentially made Dow Chemical.

Grebe was a creationist.

774 posted on 02/24/2005 11:28:31 PM PST by AndrewC (Darwinian logic -- It is just-so if it is just-so)
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To: AndrewC

You tell one person you can't tell the difference between a design and non-design,


"Show me where I stated that. And some people have had chimps throw paint at a canvas and called it art. So what, I can tell a book from dropped set of typeset."


"Well, anything not directly observed about the "painting" would of necessity be inferred.

The fact that you would class it a "painting" infers a judgement on your part."


775 posted on 02/25/2005 2:44:24 AM PST by shubi (Peace through superior firepower.)
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To: AndrewC

What does plastic wrap have to do with evolution?

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 all opinions are valid. Only informed opinions are valid. Thinking that a misinterpretation of the Bible informs opinion on biology is the mistake.


776 posted on 02/25/2005 2:47:24 AM PST by shubi (Peace through superior firepower.)
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To: Dimensio
Interesting, Elsie also has a history of selectively quoting portions of my posts and claiming (out of context) that they constitute a contradiction. When this is pointed out it ends up somehow being my fault.

I don't think that this is either a lack of intelligence or integrity on her part. I think it is Morton's Demon in full force. 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.

If Elsie scrutinised the Bible for apparent contradictions with the same enthusiasm that she scrutinizes our postings she'd never make it past Genesis I.

777 posted on 02/25/2005 3:23:25 AM PST by Thatcherite (Conservative and Biblical Literalist are not synonymous)
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To: <1/1,000,000th%
Sooner or later they'll resort to scripture

Sooner or later you resort to "abracadabra" or "it must have..."

"Evolution can't explain the eye so it's false".

Darwin himself admitted that if even *one* instance exists which cannot be explained by evolution, then all of his theory falls apart. Oh well, I guess you guys know better.

778 posted on 02/25/2005 6:56:23 AM PST by Terriergal (What is the meaning of life?? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him for ever.)
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To: Elsie

It's pointless, elsie.... I don't know why I keep checking into these threads. It's hard to make the willfully blind decide to see something that makes them uncomfortable.


779 posted on 02/25/2005 6:57:55 AM PST by Terriergal (What is the meaning of life?? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him for ever.)
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To: Dimensio; Elsie
YOU are the one who brought this DESIGNED software into question: not me!

And I was not making an analogy regarding the DESIGN of the software

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.

780 posted on 02/25/2005 7:01:18 AM PST by Terriergal (What is the meaning of life?? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him for ever.)
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