The Great Himalayan ‘Golmaal’

Science isn’t always the noble pursuit of truth. Ambition and greed can sometimes corrupt even promising scientists. This episode delves into one of the all-time great hoaxes perpetrated by Indian palaeontologist and geologist, Vishwajit Gupta, of Panjab University. Over decades, he passed off fossils from different parts of the world as ‘Himalayan fossils’ and was widely commended by an unsuspecting scientific community, until Australian geologist John Talent ripped apart his facade. Gupta’s fraud was similar to what is considered the greatest hoax in science ever, namely, Piltdown Man. How did Gupta carry out his crimes, and how did Talent expose him? Listen in Hosts: Jacob Koshy and Sobhana K Nair Audio edited and produced by Jude Francis Weston