2024 Author: Adelina Croftoon | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 02:07
American scientists have cited new evidence that the so-called hobbits, whose remains were found on the Indonesian island of Flores in 2003, were a separate species.
To solve the riddle of the "hobbits", the researchers compared the structure of their skulls and those of modern humans and the most progressive primates.
They concluded that the ancient inhabitants of the Isle of Flores had much in common with representatives of the genus Homo, but not with modern man.
Almost immediately after the discovery of the remains, which are 18 thousand years old, a dispute erupted between anthropologists about who they belonged to. Some scientists are convinced that the creature, whose height is equal to that of a modern three-year-old child, and whose brain size is comparable to that of a chimpanzee's brain, belongs to a new species of the genus Homo - Homo floresiensis.
The skull of a modern man (right) and the skull of the "hobbit" (left)
While other scientists, who also find evidence to support their point of view, suggest that the "hobbits" could well have been the ancestors of modern humans, only they suffered from a genetic disease that led to microcephaly and abnormalities in brain development.
In their studies, American scientists focus on the irregular structure of the skull of the creature found - the asymmetry between the left and right sides of it.
So, in one of the scientific papers published in 2006, it was argued that the skull is really absolutely asymmetrical, and on this basis it was concluded that the "hobbits" could hardly be representatives of a new separate species.
The most recent study of the shape of the skull of Homo floresiensis, carried out by a team of scientists from New York University at Stony Brook and the University of Minnesota, reaffirmed the presence of skull asymmetry. However, scientists made the opposite conclusion, confirming the theory that "hobbits" were still a separate species.
"Hobbit" face reconstruction
In the course of the study, team leader Karen Baab and her colleagues collected extensive information on the identification points of the "hobbit" skull, as well as extinct hominids, modern humans and primates. An analysis of the differences between the right and left sides of the skull revealed a low degree of asymmetry in the remains of Homo floresiensis, which directly contradicts the assumption of microcephaly, since significant violations of symmetry are noted in those affected by this disease.
“We consider these asymmetries to be acceptable for this hominid population,” says Dr. Baab. “In addition, we must not forget that external destructive factors have been affecting the skull for several tens of thousands of years.”
The authors of the study and most of the scientists who hold the opinion that "hobbits" are a separate species, suggest that Homo floresiensis separated from Homo erectus or from an even more primitive branch, after which it underwent a decrease in size.
Opponents of this hypothesis continue to argue that the presence of an asymmetry of the skull is clear evidence that the "hobbits" were people with microcephaly, that is, they were individuals of modern humans with abnormally small brains.
For example, scientist Robert Martin, head of the department of biological anthropology at the Chicago Museum of Natural History, claims that the main subject of research was the skull of a creature, but they ignore the fact that the brain itself of the so-called "hobbits" was tiny and asymmetrical.
According to the scientist, if the age of the remains were millions of years, then there would be no questions about the size of the brain. However, their age is estimated at only 18 thousand years, so such a small brain size is clear evidence that the "hobbits" were more likely representatives of modern people with disabilities.
The controversy over Homo floresiensis will undoubtedly continue. The discovery of other remains of a man of that time who lived on the island of Flores will help to resolve it, after a thorough study of which scientists will be able to find out for sure whether the "hobbit" was the ancestor of a modern man with disabilities or a representative of a separate species.
Recommended:
Paleoanthropologists Propose To Classify Chimpanzees And Gorillas As The Human Species Homo
When paleoanthropologists are asked at what point the genus Homo emerged from the great apes family and what can be considered a defining moment in this process, they usually begin to talk long and vaguely about a variety of concepts. [advert] The idea that "labor made a man out of a monkey", it turns out, has long been questioned, since in this case the answer to the main question must be sought at the moment of the appearance of the first tools of labor. And then it turns out that they are from those who
The Ancestors Of The Inhabitants Of Australia And Oceania Interbred With An Unknown Species Of Man
Analysis of the genomes of the inhabitants of Australia and Oceania indicated an unknown species of Homo, with which the ancestors of modern humans interbred during their migration from Africa towards the Pacific Ocean. The discovery is reported in the journal Nature Genetics and briefly reported on July 26 by New Scientist. It is known that Homo sapiens first left Africa about 60 thousand years ago: some moved towards Europe (through the Middle East), and others along the coast of Asia. It was previously known that as
In Indonesia, Besides The Hobbits, There Were Also Gnomes
Even the most ardent fans of Tolkien hardly truly believe that hobbits or, say, gnomes really existed. However, now we have data on the structure of the remains of both. Fossil creatures called hobbits and gnomes have been found in Indonesia and Micronesia; in 2004, hobbits were found in Indonesia on the island of Flores. This is the name of the dwarf hominids, which, according to some scientists, are the direct descendants of Homo erectus - Homo ere
The Most Successful Operation To Separate Siamese Twins
Separation of Abigail and Madison Fitterer (Abygail and Madysen Fitterer) - the most successful operation to date in the world to separate Siamese twins … They were connected to each other in the chest and abdomen. The decision on the separation operation was made almost immediately … Already in October 2006, he introduced expanders of organic tissue under the skin in order to subsequently close the incisions from surgical intervention. After only 5 months, the fused twins were operated on in a wedge
Doctors Want To Separate Siamese Twins With Three Legs
Twin brothers Arthur and Heitor Roja were born in the Brazilian state of Bahia in April 2009. Fused twins have common organs such as the intestines, liver, bladder and genitals, children control three legs. The Roch brothers were connected long before birth in the pelvic region. Since their first sensational ultrasound in the fifth month of pregnancy, Dr. Zacharias Kalil has been watching Arthur and Heitor, he also undertook to carry out an operation to separate the Brazilian "Siamese & a