Teeth of "Nebraska Man"

    Worn, bunodont teeth (low-crowned, rounded cusps) discovered in Nebraska in the 1920s were at first tentatively described as the remains of a North American hominid. The drawing at right appeared in a popular journal of the time. Subsequent investigation showed the teeth were from an extinct peccary.

    "Nebraska Man should not be considered an embarrassment to science. The scientists involved were mistaken, and somewhat incautious, but not incompetent or dishonest. The whole episode was actually an excellent example of the scientific process working at its best. Given a problematic identification, scientists investigated further, found data which falsified their earlier ideas, and promptly abandoned them (a marked contrast to the creationist approach)." (quotation from Jim Foley at (http://www.talkorigins.org/FAQS/HOMS/a_nebraska.html)