CONCERNING THE HOBBIT
Published March 11, 2005
In October 2004, tiny human fossils which were assumed to be hobbit's were discovered in Flores, Indonesia. According to The Guardian:
"Remains of the one metre-tall (3ft) creatures were found in a cave on the island alongside some tools and evidence of a fire. One specimen, a female dubbed LB1, is thought to have lived 18,000 years ago when the island was home to other bizarre animals, including elephants the size of ponies, over-sized rats and giant lizards that would dwarf the three metre-long Komodo dragons living there now."
The description might be a bit too bizarre, as some scientists argued that the hobbit was actually none other than a modern human suffered from microcephaly. You can read the complete article here.
Those who do not hold this view, however, have their explanation. Dean Falk of the Department of Anthropology at Florida State University had done a thorough analysis on the hobbit's brain, and it proves the brain to be different than any others.
"It's unique. It has advanced features that span the entire brain, which suggest the original discoverers were quite correct that this is a new species of human," she said. She never speculated whether it had language, but was certain that the creature had been able to use basic tools.
These creatures, also known as Homo Floresiensis, could possibly be the descendant of Homo erectus which evolved into hobbits in order to survive against the limited supplies on Flores after reaching the island from the sea. Though Flores history has proven that creatures had existed there since 95,000 to 13,000 years ago, one cannot be sure about the chance whether these hobbits might still dwell there in south-east Asia.
- CONCERNING THE HOBBIT
- Published: March 11, 2005
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- Section: Culture
- Writer: Ayu
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Yes, I myself have the inclination to believe to Dean Falk's study. It'd be interesting, indeed, to know how colorful our world was, or is :-) I'll keep my eyes on the progress of this matter.
For almost a year the (non-simplistic) page Out of Africa as "Pygmies" and back as global "Mongoloids" has proposed that: "The last major stage of modern human evolution started <50-80 kya perhaps with small pygmies with brains that were much more wrinkled than those of the Neanderthals/Erectus/-Pekingensis/Java man and early moderns." This is probably the best compromise so far between simplistic (racist?) OOA and multiregionalist approaches. Or...?
Sorry for being so late to write about this, but I see you have written most of the essential issues, Eric.
Hmmm, came to think about it..J.R.R. Tolkien mentioned that hobbit's height is varied between 3-4 feet (I'm 4 feet 11 inches)and it has passion for mushroom. And it lived in Flores, Indonesia..wow I might have been Bilbo Baggins' descendant lol.
Two species of human living at the same time. Like blue states and red states.
you'd be a giant of a hobbit Ayu!
Well Tom, I wouldn't mind sharing the world with others such as those homo floresiensis, if they were still exist. IT's kind of intriguing to know what they'd do in facing the globalization, at least lol.
And Eric, glad to know that I could still be a "giant" somewhere :-D
well Floris Vermeir you wonder if it could happen again with isolated people, maybe it is happening how we speak, just no so poignant as we may not notice subtle differences over generations, but in the future the differences betwen cultures could increase?
Interesting anyway, maybe they were/are aliens?!
I don't know I'd like to share habitat with them; according to local legends & stories, these creatures were living as late as a thousand years ago, during which time they apparently had quite a reputation as filching untended infants & young children & eating them. They were called "the ever-hungry", I believe.
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Wathever the final conclusion will be, it is still interesting to know that not so far in the recent past [on a human evolution scale] there was the posibility of multiple human species living next to each other.
It makes one wonder, if this could happen again. When e.g. people become seperated in a isloated spot, and have to adapt to the surrounding.