Episode 89 – Monkey Business
They’re apes. We KNOW. But how often do you hear anyone say “aping around”? I mean REALLY.
But yeah! It’s an ape ep for the ages. Wyatt leads off with the story of De Loys’ Ape, and the spooky photo that gave it such staying power. Are there really giant, bipedal humanoid primates lurking in the forests of South America? Just as surely as humans from different continents somehow evolved from different species! (No.)
Jake then hops on the hominid fraud train with Piltdown Man, the U.K.’s unfortunate contribution to a European paleontological pissing contest. Sometimes, if you’re looking hard enough for a Missing Link, you’ll accept ANY EVIDENCE that suggests you found it. Even if it comes from a non-scientist known for faking shit.
Cut the tail off a monkey, slap some unrelated bones together, and tune on into a history- and science-filled episode of Superduperstitious!
EPISODE LINKS
WYATT’S STORY
De Loys’ Ape
Breaking down the fraud
JAKE’S STORY
Science Magazine article
BBC article
Royal Society article
Wyatt’s Royal Society article