Posted on 03/31/2016 2:58:03 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
An ancient species of pint-sized humans discovered in the tropics of Indonesia may have met their demise earlier than once believed, according to an international team of scientists who reinvestigated the original finding.
Published in the journal Nature this week, the group challenges reports that these inhabitants of remote Flores island co-existed with modern humans for tens of thousands of years.
They found that the youngest age for Homo floresiensis, dubbed the 'Hobbit', is around 50,000 years ago not between 13,000 and 11,000 years as initially claimed.
Led by Indonesian scientists and involving researchers from Griffith University's Research Centre of Human Evolution (RCHE) the team found problems with prior dating efforts at the cave site, Liang Bua.
"In fact, Homo floresiensis seems to have disappeared soon after our species reached Flores, suggesting it was us who drove them to extinction," says Associate Professor Maxime Aubert, a geochronologist and archaeologist at RCHE, who with RCHE's Director Professor Rainer measured the amount of uranium and thorium inside Homo floresiensis fossils to test their age. "The science is unequivocal," Aubert said.
"The youngest Hobbit skeletal remains occur at 60,000 years ago but evidence for their simple stone tools continues until 50,000 years ago. After this there are no more traces of these humans."
While excavating at the limestone cave of Liang Bua in 2003, archaeologists found bones from diminutive humans unlike any people alive today. The researchers concluded the tiny cave dwellers evolved from an older branch of the human family that had been marooned on Flores for at least a million years. It was thought that this previously unknown population lived on Flores until about 12,000 years ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...
“the Lampoon’s “Bored of the Rings”-it was one of the most wickedly funniest satires ever “
I’ll vouch for that. I had some of it memorized and I would torment my LOTR loving friends by reciting it. I was a heretic in their beady little eyes.
“Keep me covered,” said Legolam, “I’ll head them off”
“Guard the rear,” said Gimlet, “I’ll take the passage.”
“Hold the fort,” said Goodgulf, “I’ll circle around.”
“Stand fast,” said Bromosel, “I’ll draw them off”
“Pyongyang panmunjon,” shouted the narc chieftan.
The company stampeded across the hall and out a side passage with the narcs at their heels. As they rushed out, Goodgulf slammed shut the door in the narcs’ faces and hastily put a spell on it.
“Hawley Smoot,” he said, striking the door with his wand, and with a smokey ‘foof’ the door disappeared, leaving the Wizard face-to-face with the puzzled narcs. Goodgulf quickly produced a lengthy confession, signed it, and thrusting it into the chieftan’s hands, raced away up the passage to where the rest of the company stood at the far end of a narrow rope bridge which spanned the sharp chasm.
As Goodgulf stepped onto the bridge the passage echoed with an ominous ‘dribble, dribble’, and a great crowd of narcs burst forth. In their midst was a towering dark shadow too terrible to describe. In its hand it held a huge black globe and on its chest was written the cruel runes “Villanova.”
“Aiyee,” shouted Legolam. “A Ballhog!”
:’) One axled haywains — 1 farthing; Two axled haywains — 2 farthings; Black Riders — 50 gold pieces.
Yeah, well, what’s that tell ya about the “Toba super-eruption”? ;’)
Somewhere,I think I still have that book.
It didn't get cold in Flores.
I saw an ash cloud map once, can"t find it now, it showed all the ash drifting away toward India.
“He would have finished Goddam off then and there, but pity stayed his hand. ‘It’s a pity I’ve run out of bullets,’ he thought.”
I hate it when the data no longer supports a good 'story' like the Toba catastrophe.
C'est la vie
Heh, one of those was posted by some guy named blam. ;’)
I haven’t seen the copy of Bored that we had since maybe 1980-I’ve no idea where it went-but I’d bet real money that very few of today’s Haavahd snowflakes have the linguistic skills or appreciation for subtlety required to enjoy that satire-damned shame...
“In fact, Homo floresiensis seems to have disappeared soon after our species reached Flores”
Lunch.
They were tricked out by pimps newly arrived from mainland Asia.
I saw that. Don't know what to make of it.
:’)
I’m not sure I ever had a copy of it, but be sure that I did read it, not long after completing the LOTR for the first time (total read-throughs, probably seven, although I generally learned to skip most of the Barrow Downs), and tried my hand at similar send-ups; the most work I did on one (at age 14, so...) was of Alice in Wonderland.
“He would have finished Goddam off then and there, but pity stayed his hand. ‘It’s a pity I’ve run out of bullets,’ he thought.”
That was my favorite line. It still makes me laugh.
:)
Wrong Lampoon. ;’)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.