Hobbits Were A Separate Species

Video: Hobbits Were A Separate Species

Video: Hobbits Were A Separate Species
Video: When Hobbits Were Real 2024, March
Hobbits Were A Separate Species
Hobbits Were A Separate Species
Anonim
Hobbits were a separate species
Hobbits were a separate species

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)

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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

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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.

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