Oliver the chimp originally thought to be apossible "missing link."
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.
Are big dogs smarter than small dogs?
Oliver the chimp originally thought to be apossible "missing link."
Oh look! It's an orc! Gotta be at least one scientist who would go along with that...
It seems like every time they find fossils of some new two-legged species, they immediately assume that we are direct descendants.
"It probably WAS a chimp. I don't have too much faith in what these so called scientists find. They've been wrong before."
I see. You must have information they don't have, then, I suppose. You've examined these remains and, in your expert judgment, have decided they are chimps. Is that correct?
Phooey! Anyone who studies primates can tell the difference between a chimp's bones and of a hominid's bones. I could even do it, and I'm not even in that field.
If you have a reason for thinking these are chimps, let's hear it. If you're just blowing smoke, well, never mind.
Some of the "evolving" into dwarf or larger sizes may only reflect long term (over many generations) differences in nutrition and nothing of a genetic nature at all.
It is the monster thing from the ABC series "Lost"
How did they get there from New Zealand?
For the love of God, not another 47,000-post thread...please... (whimpering sounds coming from BtD's cube)
Actually, I think they've discovered the forerunners of today's Homo democratus.
very cool...further proof to the existence of dwarves, gnomes, and hobbits! Elves tend not to leave behind any remains after their long lifespan ends.
Extinction from a volcano eruption? Nah - they survived Mt. Doom and faded into the west along the Strait Path to the Undying Lands, Evergreen...
They finally found poor old Deagol!
Aw, you know you love us!
long-lost cousin of yourn?
ping
Regards,
GtG
LOL!
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