Scientists: 'Hobbit' was ancestor of pygmy

Previous researchers concluded in 2004 that the remains on Flores island represented a new species of human, "Homo floresiensis", which was about 3-feet tall with brains roughly the size of grapefruits.

But in an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week, a team led by Robert Eckhardt, professor of developmental genetics and evolutionary morphology at Pennsylvania State University, disputed those findings.

The international research team said only one reasonably complete skeleton, classified as "LB1", was unearthed and it probably belonged to an early human suffering from microencephaly, a condition where the head and brain are abnormally small.

Link

So maybe the Lord of the Rings really did happen!!! lol, j/k


Pretty interesting find though, another thread in the evolutionary blanket.

Would a discovery like this mean pygmies are not humans? Or a different species all together? I do not know much about pygmies to be honest.

Originally posted by Skadi_the_Evil_Elf
Would a discovery like this mean pygmies are not humans? Or a different species all together? I do not know much about pygmies to be honest.

No, just a different form of humans.

Minature poodles are still dogs. So are minature schnauzers and minature pinschers (mini-pins). They're just height challenged by envioronment and breeding.

For the record, I disagree with the "microcephalic dwarf." there were 7 individuals there... AND... the associated problems with microcephaly in a primitive environment make it very unlikely anyone with a birth defect that severe survived to adulthood.

[edit on 26-8-2006 by Byrd]