The place didn't fool scientists. Most scientists who were "fooled" had never even seen the place with their own eyes. According to the article, many of those w

The place didn't fool scientists. Most scientists who were "fooled" had never even seen the place with their own eyes. According to the article, many of those who did see the place quickly changed their minds. The scientists had fooled themselves, thinking they could know nature without even seeing it. Which was actually a common attitude back when it was rather expensive, not to mention dangerous, to travel long distances just to see some rocks. Of course this kind of excuse has rapidly lost its power over the course of the last century.