"Hobbit" Discovered: Tiny Human Ancestor Found in Asia

[Solon]

Scientists have found fossil skeletons of a hobbit-like species of human that grew no larger than a three-year-old modern child (See pictures). The tiny humans, who had skulls about the size of grapefruits, lived with pygmy elephants and Komodo dragons on a remote island in Indonesia as recently as 13,000 years ago.

Australian and Indonesian researchers discovered bones of the miniature humans in a cave on Flores, an island midway between Asia and Australia.

Scientists have determined that the first skeleton they found belongs to a species of human completely new to science. Named Homo floresiensis, after the island on which it was found, the tiny human has also been dubbed by dig workers as the "hobbit," after the tiny creatures from the Lord of the Rings books.

(snip)

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1027_041027_homo_floresiensis.html#main

NOW this is cool :)

[Ilsa]

1. Hey, thanks for posting the link. I heard a tidbit on the radio,

or maybe tv, but wasn't familiar with the story. 13,000 years old. Neat.

[Solon]

2. Yeah, while it is speculation...

I suspect that Homo Sapiens had contact, if fleeting. with them, it is certainly possible that they weren't just confined to this one island. Wonder if that is where the stories of little people came about, besides the occasional dwarfism in our species.

[starroute]

15. There were almost certainly modern humans there c. 60,000 BP

Flores and the neighboring islands are precisely the location the first Australians are presumed to have come from, probably between 60,000 and 50,000 years ago.

My guess would be that Homo sapiens lived along the beaches (which seems to have been the standard pattern at that time) while these little guys hung out in the forests like modern pygmies.

(Could this have anything to do with Australian stories about the Mimis, who are said to have occupied the land before present-day people arrived?)

[Name removed]

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[TheBlackSteeds]

4. Cool

This throws a wrench into certain existing theories, but that is the pleasant fact about theories: with new facts, they are altered.

[T Bone]

5. No this is the work of the DEVIL putting the bones there

to confuse believers.

[TheBlackSteeds]

6. No, no..

this is just God, testing the faith of the believers. Just like He is doing with those dinosaur bones and other fossils.

[tinanator]

7. Im a prankster God!

RIP Bill

[TheBlackSteeds]

9. I'm told he has a DVD coming out

While I wouldn't complain, he better not be like 2pac.

Unfortunately it's all things that've been out before. I'd want a decent copy of his psychotic gig from Chicago. A digital version of Sane Man wouldn't hurt, either.... but, no.

[despairing optimist]

8. Now it's time for a revised edition of "Bush's Brain"

Or at least a rewrite of the last chapter.

[rooboy]

10. Why didn't I read about this in my Bible???

there must have been two of them on the Ark...

[Amigust]

11. Homo floresiensis

"Homo floresienses has been described as one of the most spectacular discoveries in paleoanthropology in half a century—and the most extreme human ever discovered."

[medeak]

12. what about "Lucy"

at ASU... she doesn't look more than three feet tall?

[starroute]

17. Lucy was almost four million years ago

The earliest Australopithecines were roughly chimp-sized, with Lucy being a particularly small example. But Homo erectus, who appeared about 1.8 million years ago, was the same size we are, and no previous members of genus Homo have been know to be smaller than modern pygmies.

Although these new finds have certain anomolous features, it seems almost certain that they were descended from the erectus folks who were on that island by 840,000 years ago. And that means they must have shrunk down considerably.

[gottaB]

18. Lucy is on the small end of A. afarensis, but over 3 feet tall

Males in that species are closer to 5 feet tall.

Australopithecines are generally shorter than Homo.

The weird thing about Homo floriensis is that, according to last week's widely accepted theories, it must have evolved from Homo sapiens (sapiens), which would represent a highly unusual direction of change. Now there are speculations that floriensis evolved separately from Homo erectus, which would also be rather remarkable.

Interesting.

[drb]

13. Just proves that the BFEE has been around longer than we thought!

Pre-historicus chimpus-smirkus!

[ochazuke]

14. WAY cool

What a boring world we live in now with only one member of the genus Homo.

I wonder if they would have been with us, or with the terrorists?

[progressivedancer]

16. Wow

Such fascinating discoveries and revelations these scientists are sharing to the world. I hope that the change in guard for this country will further promote greater appreciation of the sciences.

Haven't any of you noticed that Science has been SO UNDERRATED during this administration.

[Matilda]

21. Because all the truth you need to know is in the Bible.

Can't have facts getting in the way.

[genius]

19. OK. But who has the ring?

[juajen]

20. I love this. Thanks for posting.

I always knew Tolkien knew what he was talking about.

[Name removed]

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[Moderator]

23. Duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=936873