The debunked story is this one:
A student once asked anthropologist Margaret Mead, βWhat is the earliest sign of civilization?β The student expected her to say a clay pot, a grinding stone, or maybe a weapon. Margaret Mead thought for a moment, then she said, βA healed femur.β A femur is the longest bone in the body, linking hip to knee. In societies without the benefits of modern medicine, it takes about six weeks of rest for a fractured femur to heal. A healed femur shows that someone cared for the injured person, did their hunting and gathering, stayed with them, and offered physical protection and human companionship until the injury could mend. Mead explained that where the law of the jungleβthe survival of the fittestβrules, no healed femurs are found. The first sign of civilization is compassion, seen in a healed femur.
The memeification of feel-good stories attributed to scientists and intellectuals without sources or context is a real threat to authentic knowledge and understanding.
