Vishwa Jit Gupta

Vishwa Jit Gupta
Born(1942-11-04)4 November 1942
Chandigarh, India
Died(2022-12-31)31 December 2022
NationalityIndian
Alma materPanjab University
Known forHimalayan geology and fossil record
Himalayan fossil hoax
Scientific career
FieldsGeology
Paleontology
InstitutionsPanjab University
Thesis Palaeontology, Stratigraphy and Structure of the Palaeozoic Rocks of the Area South-East of Srinagar  (1966)
Doctoral advisorM.R. Sahni

Vishwa Jit Gupta, alternatively spelt Viswa Jit Gupta,[1] or Vishwajit Gupta,[2] (1942—2022) was an Indian paleontologist and former professor of geology at Panjab University, Chandigarh. He is reputed for research in the geological settings and fossil records of the Himalayas, publishing five books and 458 articles on the subject between 1966 and 1989. However, many of his fossils were revealed to be fake or manipulated, and he became infamous for large-scale scientific fraud, the case that came to be known as the Himalayan fossil hoax.[3] Once recognised as "India's most celebrated fossil scientist",[4] he has been named as "the greatest" and "most notorious paleontological fraudster"[5] and "Houdini of the Himalayas."[6]

  1. ^ Stevens, William K. (23 April 1989). "Scientist Accused of Faking Findings". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  2. ^ Chaman, Vishakha (28 October 2017). "Journal club for Panjab University researchers likely". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Bharti, Vishav (3 April 2016). "Layers of dust years after 'Himalayan fossil hoax'". The Tribune. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Ruffell, Alastair; Majury, Niall; Brooks, William E. (1 February 2012). "Geological fakes and frauds". Earth-Science Reviews. 111 (1): 224–231. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2011.12.001. ISSN 0012-8252. S2CID 129095795.
  6. ^ Waterhouse, J. B. (25 January 1990). "The peripatetic fossils: part 4". Nature. 343 (6256): 305–307. doi:10.1038/343305a0. ISSN 1476-4687. S2CID 2281453.