More Evidence For Hobbit Sized Species

GogglesPisano writes "CNN.com reports that scientists digging in a remote Indonesian cave have uncovered a jaw bone that they say adds more evidence that a tiny prehistoric Hobbit-like species once existed." From the article: "The discovery of a jaw bone, to be reported in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature, represents the ninth individual belonging to a group believed to have lived as recently as 12,000 years ago. The bones are in a wet cave on the island of Flores in the eastern limb of the Indonesian archipelago, near Australia."

Comments

All makes sense

[powerpuffgirls]

Wow! Eastern limb of the Indonesian archipelago, near Australia, which is close to New Zealand, which is where LOTR was shot.

Re:All makes sense

[Anonymous Coward]

which starred Ian MacKellen who was also in X-Men with Donna Goodhand, who was in Cavedweller with... Kevin Bacon.

Re:All makes sense

[kai.chan]

Wow! And if you look at the date of the CNN article, if you times the numeric value of the month by 2, and add it to the numeric value of the article's day, you get 31, which is the sum of the numeric release date (12 + 19) of Fellowship of the Ring! Coincidence?? I think not!

Re:All makes sense

[Krach42]

crap, we can't even go back 30,000 years and find someone who's more than 7 levels of indirectrion from Keven Bacon.

isn't it obvious to you all?

[circletimessquare]

the jawbone was placed there by satan to test your faith

Re:isn't it obvious to you all?

[Rude Turnip]

They were placed there through the grace of His Noodly Appendage to test our faith, duh!

Re:isn't it obvious to you all?

[Goody]

What is the religious answer to this? Do they contend that these were a failed first protoype of later man? Someone give me an argument to go on...

While we're asking religious questions, what is the religous answer to why my truck is burning more oil these days?

Re:isn't it obvious to you all?

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, it's this. Stupidity is a sin. Incompetence is a sin. Come to think of it, being a woman is a sin. And what do most women do when it comes to dealing with anything with an internal combustion engine? Neglect and abuse it until it dies.

Either that or your disturbing lack of faith has caused piston ring clearances to diminish to the point where you start consuming more oil.

Re:isn't it obvious to you all?

[MightyMartian]

Religion/mythology is pretty interesting if you chuck the dogma.

Or it comes out looking like some von Daniken crap-o-classic. Write a book, call it "Noah: Nude Tenter and the Last Atlantean" or "Chariots of Bullshit".

Re:isn't it obvious to you all?

[Anonymous Coward]

Of course the parent didn't specify which religion. The obvious answer to the truely enlightend is that because the vehicle in question is not a Saturn, that it is an evil vehicle. All those who are Saturn owners will be taken when the comet comes. Woe to those ex-Saturn owners who have turned their back on the true faith. There will be much grinding of gears and leaking of oil for those who are not part of the light.

Re:isn't it obvious to you all?

[aussie_a]

Stupidity is a sin. Incompetence is a sin. Come to think of it, being a woman is a sin.You repeat yourself.

They should check New Zealand

[complexmath]

I hear Peter Jackson found a whole town of them there.

From TFA

[max99ted]

However, the researchers acknowledge that the Hobbit shares a bizarre and unexplained mixture of modern and primitive traits. For example, its long, dangling arms were thought to have belonged only to much older prehuman species that were confined to Africa

Yet more evidence of FSM, I say.

Or it could be a chromosome

[Anonymous Coward]

Or a G-nome.

Maybe it was all of the cave graffiti that says

[Gadgetfreak]

Frodo Lived!

Golem vs Gollum

[ReverendLoki]

First thing a a golem would say, of course, is nothing. Golems can't speak, according to folklore. Sure would have made it more difficult for Andy Sirkis to get an award...

Re:Ever think....

[geeber]

It could have just been a young kid? I'm sure the hobbit idea is much more interesting though...

I am sure that idea never occured to the scientists doing the digging. You should write to them and let them know your brilliant theory. That would save everyone involved a lot of time.

Wet cave?

[Tackhead]

> The discovery of a jaw bone, to be reported in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature, represents the ninth individual belonging to a group believed to have lived as recently as 12,000 years ago. The bones are in a wet cave on the island of Flores in the eastern limb of the Indonesian archipelago, near Australia.

Thiss preciousss twelve thousands of yearses olds jawsbone... found in dark deep dripsy cave... thiss iss not ssomethings that's coming from tricksy hobbitses!

Or it could be the Smurfs

[ackthpt]

From TFA: A vocal scientific minority insists the Hobbit specimens do not represent a new species at all. They believe the specimens are nothing more than the bones of modern humans that suffered from microencephaly, a broadly defined genetic disorder that results in small brain size and other defects.

Seems from the news that Smurf Village has been bombed and will feature in a UNICEF ad in Belgium next week.

it was probably done by president gargamel...

Re:Orcs & Trolls?????

[WillyMF1]

Orcs & Trolls?????(Score:1, Troll)

LOL

Re:Before anyone else does...

[Anonymous Coward]

I, for one, welcome our new hobbit-sized overlords!

I think they're technically "underlords", what with being tiny, mostly harmless and living underground, and all.

Just watch out for the one's with glowing golden rings that pulse with an aura of evil incarnate, and you'll be fine! :-)

Wizard's trick

[ewg]

Everyone knows there's no such thing as hobbits. This jaw bone must be some wizard's trick.

Re:Or it could be a dwarf

[IthnkImParanoid]

ancestor and decendant, are, of course, relative

You've been waiting to use that for a while, haven't you?

Re:Trouble is...

[Anonymous Coward]

Their dead Jim what, and why is it giving them trouble?

By the way, what is a "dead Jim"?

Uh..

[StikyPad]

Don't tell anyone, but 20 years ago, I was hobbit-sized. I know, you wouldn't think it by looking at me, but it's true.

Re:Ever think....

[dogbreathcanada]

Brilliant! I'm going to offer you an honorary Doctorate in Archeology from the University of Dumbasses.

Re:Ever think....

[commodoresloat]

Definitely do that. The scientists will likely be intrigued by your ideas and want to subscribe to your newsletter.

Re:Or it could be a dwarf

[Prof. Pi]

can you prove that this population is (a) represented by these bones, (b) genetically distinct, and (c) incapable of creating viable offspring with any other 'human' population.

They've been dead 12,000 years, so I'd guess that (c) is a yes.

These aren't hobbits

[commodoresloat]

They're trolls.

They know because they found a cave painting nearby that said "F1rst P0st!"

Re:Orcs & Trolls?????

[Physics Nobody]

Sadly you won't find any fossils of orcs and trolls because after they die they turn into gold (and XP).

This unique property means they were hunted to extinction by local adverturers ages ago, so don't expect to find any live ones either.

Just as He as taught us.

[hotspotbloc]

The Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe, starting with a mountain, trees and a midgit. This is clear proof the He was the basis of all intelligence and I demand His teachings be taught in all Kansas public schools.

Don't get me started about the pirates ...

Idiots!

[Roadkills-R-Us]

They found it in a *wet cave*...

It *shrunk*.

If anybody finds a gold ring

[Julian Morrison]

...don't put it on. Seriously. Bad things would happen.

Re:Ah, so that's were that ship went.

[Jonathan the Nerd]

The Eldar were kidnapped and enslaved by Santa Claus. After centuries of malnourishment and hard work in the bitter cold, their bodies shrank to what we normally think of as "elfin".

Re:Or it could be a dwarf

[mydocuments]

If it were a dwarf, we could expect battleaxes, scraps of armour, and of course the occasional goblin skull to be floating about in the cave with it... Hold on! It might be a goblin! Did any of the bones have a the "Made in Mordor" logo?