Get ready for more new humans

[Vojvoda]

October 28, 2004


AUSTRALIAN scientists who discovered a startling species of mini human dubbed "hobbits" are now warning the world to expect more.

"We look forward to finding other species," said associate professor Mike Morwood of the University of New England in northern NSW.Prof Morwood led the team which unearthed the so-called hobbits, one metre-tall cousins of modern man, in a cave on the Indonesian island of Flores.

He nominated as prime search sites other islands in the Indonesian archipelago including Sulawesi, Lombok, Timor and Java.

"Sulawesi has got to be another real cracker of an opportunity," said team member Professor Richard (Bert) Roberts, a dating expert from Wollongong university.

The scientists believe the hobbits, the smallest species of human, descended from homo erectus, just as modern man did.

They "morphed" into dwarfs over the course of hundreds of thousands of years of genetic isolation on Flores.

The scientists describe the island as "a kind of Lost World" of bizarre extinct species such as a dwarf form of the primitive elephant Stegodon as well as giant rats, full-sized Komodo dragons and an even larger species of giant lizard.

Conditions on such islands are perfect for smaller animals to get bigger, they explain, as well as for larger animals and humans to become smaller because they are isolated from competition from other mammals and have no genetic need to remain large.

If the hobbits were able to evolve in isolation on Flores, the scientists contend, then other species of human yet to be discovered could have done the same thing on other islands.

The hobbits, hairless, dark-skinned dwarfs with small heads and knee-length arms, grew to about the height of a modern three-year-old child.

They are believed to have been rendered extinct in a volcanic eruption 12,000 years ago, the same time as the Stegodon was wiped out.

But it's possible they survived for much longer - perhaps even until several hundred years ago.

"Could they have persisted somewhere else on the island? Yes, they could have done," said Prof Roberts.

"There are lots of local folk tales in Flores about these people which are consistent and incredibly detailed.

"The stories suggest there may be more than a grain of truth to the idea that they were still living on Flores up until the Dutch arrived in the 1500s.

"The stories suggest villagers would leave gourds with food (outside their caves) for them to eat, but legend has it these were the guests from hell - they'd eat everything, including the gourds."

Scientists also entertain the tantalising idea that modern man could have lived alongside the hobbits on Flores.

"I wouldn't be surprised if modern humans consumed them," said associate professor Morwood.

"I look forward to finding grisly archaeological evidence of that."

Either way, the scientists believe hobbits and modern man shared the earth for up to 40,000 years.

"We haven't had the planet to ourselves for all that long," said Prof Roberts.

"We are simply not that unique any longer. The difference between us and them is getting incredibly small."

The hobbits, known technically as homo floresiensis, have amazed experts with their demonstrated ability to hunt and use fire and tools even after their brains started shrinking to chimpanzee size.

The hobbits used sharp stone tools to butcher the Stegodon they killed, and are believed to have been capable of travelling at least short sea distances by bamboo raft.

"And there must have been communal, cooperative planning, otherwise you end up dead," said assoc prof Morwood.

"So language is a given."

theaustralian.news.com.au

[Gil]

Human-eating hobbits?



"Look there Mr. Frodo, those humans look real tasty. I could make them with some nice potatoes, huh?"

Eheh

[Timo]

You will see dwarves, elves, giants, and all other beings which the old stories tell of. Ha, stupid mortals...