MyQJ | QJ.NET | Apple | Mobile | Science | MMORPG | Nintendo DS | Wii | World of Warcraft | PlayStation 3 | PSP | Xbox 360 | Gadgets | PC Gaming | Age of Conan | DL.QJ | QJ.NET Forums

Update: Scientists Confirm Homo Floresiensis Is NOT New Human Species

Posted Aug 28, 2006 at 05:33AM by Maia L. Listed in: Paleontology Tags: hobbits, National Academy of Sciences, Indonesia
Ó

The Pygmy


The skeletal remains that were found in Liang Bua cave on the Central Indonesian island of Flores have created so much buzz among scientists after it has been theorized that the said remains may be that of a new and previously-unknown species of humans which were dubbed as Homo floresiensis. However, recent analysis which was done by a team of Indonesian, American, Australian and Chinese researchers has rejected this 2004 theory of "hobbits".

In the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group of scientists proposed that these skeletal remains belonged to the Homo erectus species of human ancestors who first inhabited Flores about 840,000 years ago, a date which was established by analyzing stone tools that were also found on the island. The most complete skeleton, dubbed as "LB1", actually suffered from microcephaly, a neurological disorder which is characterized by the circumference of the head which is smaller than average for the person's age and gender. Scientists believe that this may also be due to the "island effect" in the place which shrinks large-bodied species over time, thus turning Homo erectus into the dwarf-sized Homo florensiensis.

As for LB1's unusual cranium, face, teeth and stature, Robert B. Eckhardt, a professor of developmental genetics and evolutionary morphology at the Pennsylvania State University, and his team found that some of these keys features are still present in Flores' indigenous Rampasasa pygmies (sometimes spelled Rampapasa), one community of which is located less than a mile from the Liang Bua cave.

Eckhardt said that " to establish a new species, paleoanthropologists are required to document a unique complex of normal traits not found in any other species, but this was not done. The normal traits of LB1 were not unique, and its unusually small braincase was not normal."

[Via FOXNews] Permalink  |   Email this  |   Linking Blogs   |   Digg It!

Bookmark / Find this article on:

1 Jumps     Far out theory: Milky Way cycle responsible for mass extinctions

0 Comments


Sort by:


Contact
QJ.NET Blog Network RSS Feeds
MyQJ Feed / PDA
MyQJ RSS / PDA
Blog of Blogs Feed / PDA
QJ.NET RSS / PDA
Gaming Consoles Feed / PDA
Nintendo DS RSS / PDA
PlayStation 3 RSS / PDA
PSP Updates RSS / PDA
Wii RSS / PDA
Xbox 360 RSS / PDA
PC Gaming Feed / PDA
Age of Conan RSS / PDA
Games for Windows RSS / PDA
MMORPG RSS / PDA
Tabula Rasa RSS / PDA
World of Warcraft RSS / PDA
Science Feed / PDA
Science RSS / PDA
Technology Feed / PDA
Apple RSS / PDA
Gadgets RSS / PDA
Mobile RSS / PDA
Photography RSS / PDA
Add QJ.NET
Add to My Yahoo!
Google Reader Subscribe with Bloglines
Add to your Kinja digest Subscribe in NewsGator Online
Subscribe with Pluck RSS reader Add 'www.qj.net' to Newsburst from CNET News.com
Subscribe with SearchFox RSS del.icio.us www.qj.net
Add to Technorati Favorite! Add to My AOL
furl! it Stumble for Treehugger!
User Favorites - July
Most Commented
(27)
(15)
(14)
(9)
(7)
(6)
(5)
(5)
(4)
(3)
(3)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
User Favorites - July
Top Jumps
Far out theory: Milky Way c.. (20)
The price of green living? .. (14)
More than fireworks: planet.. (13)
A 30-megaton blast from the.. (12)
Will Earth's largest parti.. (5)
You can grow asparagus on M.. (5)
North Pole to have no ice t.. (3)
Who needs paper? Scientists.. (3)
The Autobot Matrix is out t.. (2)
The feeding habits of black.. (1)
Mars used to be like Earth .. (1)

 Username: 
 Password:
Forgot password
New user registration



Poll
Are unidentified flying objects (UFOs) really alien spaceships?
Earth Science
General Science
Health Science
Space
Archives


Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the TERMS & CONDITIONS and PRIVACY POLICY
Copyright © 2006, Content Holdings, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Version. 1.31