Posted on 10/27/2004 10:51:55 AM PDT by presidio9
Scientists in Australia have found a new species of hobbit-sized humans who lived about 18,000 years ago on an Indonesian island in a discovery that adds another piece to the complex puzzle of human evolution.
The partial skeleton of Homo floresiensis, found in a cave on the island of Flores, is of an adult female that was a metre (3 feet) tall, had a chimpanzee-sized brain and was substantially different from modern humans.
It shared the isolated island to the east of Java with miniature elephants and Komodo dragons. The creature walked upright, probably evolved into its dwarf size because of environmental conditions and coexisted with modern humans in the region for thousands of years.
"It is an extraordinarily important find," Professor Chris Stringer, of the Natural History Museum in London, told a news conference on Wednesday. "It challenges the whole idea of what it is that makes us human."
Peter Brown of the University of New England in Armidale, Australia, and his colleagues made the discovery of the skull and other bones, and miniature tools in September 2003 while looking for records of modern human migration to Asia. They reported the finding in the science journal Nature.
"Finding these hominins on an isolated island in Asia, and with elements of modern human behaviour in tool making and hunting, is truly remarkable and could not have been predicted by previous discoveries," Brown said in a statement.
Local legends tell of hobbit-like creatures existing on islands long ago but there has been no evidence of them.
DESCENDENT OF HOMO ERECTUS
The hominin family tree, which includes humans and pre-humans, diverged from the chimpanzee line about 7 million years ago. Early African hominins walked upright, were small and had tiny brains.
The new species, dubbed "Flores man", is thought to be a descendent of Homo erectus, which had a large brain, was full-sized and spread out from Africa to Asia about 2 million years ago.
The new species became isolated on Flores and evolved into its dwarf form to conform with conditions, such as food shortages. Flores, which was probably never connected to the mainland, was home to a variety of exotic creatures including a dwarf form of the primitive elephant Stegodon.
Modern humans had reached Australia about 45,000 years ago but they may not have passed through Flores. The scientists suspect the new species became extinct after a massive volcanic eruption on the island about 12,000 years ago.
Brown and his colleagues have found the remains of seven other dwarf individuals at the same site since the first find.
"The other individuals all show similar characteristics, and over a time range that now extends from as long ago as 95,000 years to as recently as 13,000 years ago -- a population of hobbits that seemed to disappear at about the same time as the pygmy elephants that they hunted," said Bert Roberts, one of the authors of the Nature study.
Moratorium stress placemarker.
Dude, this election's got me so keyed up, I need the release of a good tussle with the forces of evil and ignorance.
Ever hear of the "Orang Pendak"? From the description it sounds like these creatures. Even the location is right.
"Oliver the chimp originally thought to be apossible "missing link."
No! Oliver is just one ugly chimp, even by chimp standards!
LOL!! I remember that. :)
They've been wrong before. I don't trust any of their supposed findings. I don't pretend to be smarter, just a lot more careful about believing what people tell me.
I predict this is the new "New Zealander builds Hobbit Hole" thread. LOL
Scientists have been proven wrong before. I don't remember all the details but apparently they had thought part of a skull that was found was the remains of early man. It turned out to be that of a chimp or gorilla.
Exactly. I'm a wait and see kind of person. I don't automatically take their word for it! M
Doing that too much will make you Gimli.
I don't take anyone's word for these kinds of findings. You mean, Dubya DIDN'T kill him???
Yep.
All eight skeletons? Was there a Yellow Brick Road?
Would they surmise that satellite dishes were used to communicate with aliens? Rubic's cube holds an ancient mystery of life? Guys with red and yellow mohawks were a fiercesome tribe? Rocks were actually alive and used to be our pets?
I'm still recuperating from Shatner's Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
"I've also posted a photo of a chimpanzee skull. Even a grade school kid can see that this small person is a hominid:"
I will concede that the skull does look like a hominid (although they may look quite different if viewed from the side). However, it is the whole "questioning what makes us human" remark that irks me. Pygmys, dwarves etc are short tool using hominids. Even if he discovered an ancient tribe of dwarves, it doesn't bring the nature of humanity into question.
My brother sent me that on a tape. Without much of a warning.
That was just WRONG.
But...while we're on the subject, kinda sorta...
The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins. Enjoy!
Heard that a few years ago. It still haunts me.
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