Hobbit update

Following up a bit on my hobbit post from last week, SciAm Observations has a new post (part one of what I assume will be at least a series of two!), describing a bit of the back-n-forth at a recent American Association of Physical Anthropologists meeting in Alaska. You can also listen to the author (Kate Wong) in a SciAm podcast here, describing the background on H. floresiensis and the conference.

More like this

Finally: more bones. Last October the world marveled at the announcement of the discovery of a new species of hominid, Homo floresiensis, in a cave called Liang Bua on the Indonesian island of Flores. One conclusion was more shocking than the next. First, this hominid stood only three feet high,…
At 1 p.m. today I listened by phone to a press conference in Washington where scientists presented the first good look inside a Hobbit's head. The view is fascinating. While it may help clear up some mysteries, it seems to throw others wide open. Last October, a team of Australian scientists…
Because this is Shifting Baselines, where we recognize the need for a historical perspective to understand the 'baseline' and what is deemed 'pristine', it seems fitting to give a brief history of Carnival of the Blue. The brainchild of Mark Powell at Blogfish, Carnival of the Blue is an ocean…
Could 2007 see some new hobbits? I certainly hope so. In October 2004, a team of scientists announced they had found bones of a hominid from the Indonesian island of Flores. They came to the astonishing conclusion that the bones belonged to a new species, which they called Homo floresiensis, which…

Happy Birthday Tara!!! Belated yes, but at 30 (50 in my case) make 'em as late as you want to! Really have enjoyed your links to the 'Hobbit' people and look forward to more info on them.