Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Scientists Hope To Settle "Hobbit" Debate

Posted by kdawson on from the little-men dept.

Several readers wrote in with news of the debate around the identity of an ancient woman whose diminutive skeleton was found on the Indonesian island of Flores in 2004. Fox News reports that Australian scientists have discovered a subterranean chamber that may contain DNA proof that will settle the question of whether "the Hobbit," as the specimen is called, actually is a representative of a new branch of the human family, or not. The find's discoverers named the putative new race Homo floresiensis. Others in the anthropological field question this identification, arguing that the meter-tall Hobbit was a modern human who had something wrong with her. In a paper just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, with one of the original discovery team as co-author, researchers say they have compared the Hobbit's skull to those of modern humans with various ailments such as microcephaly, and that the Hobbit is different.

10 of 164 comments (clear)

  1. Trolls too... by racecarj · · Score: 5, Funny

    Another one of Tolkien's races has been discovered: Trolls, it seems, are native to the slashdot community.

    1. Re:Trolls too... by andy314159pi · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hobbits suffer from microcephaly but Trolls suffer from microphallus, which is quite different.

    2. Re: Trolls too... by Black+Parrot · · Score: 5, Funny

      > Although My humongous 4x4 pickup truck is more or less out of neccesity, I don't think I would trade it for anything else (even if i didn't have a need for it).

      Bah, real men drive six-wheeled armored cars.

      With a great big gun sticking out the front...

      --
      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  2. hmmm by macadamia_harold · · Score: 5, Funny

    Others in the anthropological field question this identification, arguing that the meter-tall Hobbit was a modern human who had something wrong with her.

    Maybe she just hobbitually ate a poor diet.

    --
    Push Button, Receive Bacon
    1. Re:hmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm pretty shire that's the case.

    2. Re:hmmm by Bamafan77 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I can't confirm it, but it certainly rings true.

    3. Re:hmmm by WeeLad · · Score: 5, Funny

      In any case, this debate will probably drag-on forever

      --
      Seriously, Don't take anything I say seriously.
  3. And who is going to direct this research? by iminplaya · · Score: 5, Funny

    Paul Verhoeven

    Kevin Smith

    George Lucas

    Allan Parker

    Steven Spielberg

    Ridley Scott

    Beorn(who?)

    or CowboyNeal?

    --
    What?
  4. Re:Me being cynical by hobbesmaster · · Score: 5, Funny

    Tell that to string physicists.

  5. Mod Parent Up by Digitus1337 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Either way, I don't think we've heard the Ent of this discussion.