Back in the nineteenth century the evolutionist Ernst Haeckel published drawings of embryos of several different species. He claimed these drawings showed how embryos pass through different evolutionary stages like a fish stage or a reptile stage as they grow. He convinced a lot of people that embryo development proves evolution.

But it was later shown that these drawings were frauds! Haeckel had purposefully drawn the embryos to look more similar than they are. It’s been known for a long time that these drawings were fraudulent—and yet you’ll still find them in textbooks!

Yes, it’s a fraud has remained an icon of evolution!