It has happened before.

"Piltdown man" was considered the greatest scientific hoax of all time

See PBS May 30, 2006 program

Link http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/hoax/

"For decades, a fossil skull discovered in Piltdown, England, was hailed as the missing link between apes and humans. Entire careers were built on its authenticity. Then in 1953, the awful truth came out: "Piltdown Man" was a fake! But who done it? In "The Boldest Hoax," NOVA gets to the bottom of the greatest scientific hoodwinking of all time."