hobbits back in the news
by John at 11/26/2004 08:27:00 PM
Remember the hobbits?
Well, as with most new theories, there was not universal agreement in the scientific community that the 18,000 year old bones of the the meter tall humanoids found on an Indonesian island represent a separate species of humans. Some paleontologists think that they are merely microcephalic Homo sapiens dwarves.
Professor Teuku Jacob of Gadjah Mada University in Jakarta is one of the doubters, and to prove his point, he has locked the remains of the seven individuals in his safe and will not let anyone else examine the bones.
The Australian researchers associated with the original discovery are asking him, very nicely, to please let them examine the bones. They hope to extract DNA that may help determine the ancestry of the prehistoric humans.
The discovery of these bones potentially threatens a lot of current scientific beliefs, including the developement of the genus Homo, our relation to other primates like chimpanzees, and perhaps even the physiological requirements for being human. All very interesting stuff. The solutions to the questions raised, however, will only be found through scientific cooperation.
Well, as with most new theories, there was not universal agreement in the scientific community that the 18,000 year old bones of the the meter tall humanoids found on an Indonesian island represent a separate species of humans. Some paleontologists think that they are merely microcephalic Homo sapiens dwarves.
Professor Teuku Jacob of Gadjah Mada University in Jakarta is one of the doubters, and to prove his point, he has locked the remains of the seven individuals in his safe and will not let anyone else examine the bones.
The Australian researchers associated with the original discovery are asking him, very nicely, to please let them examine the bones. They hope to extract DNA that may help determine the ancestry of the prehistoric humans.
The discovery of these bones potentially threatens a lot of current scientific beliefs, including the developement of the genus Homo, our relation to other primates like chimpanzees, and perhaps even the physiological requirements for being human. All very interesting stuff. The solutions to the questions raised, however, will only be found through scientific cooperation.
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