EVOLUTION: Hobbits’ ancestors?
Scientists continuing to research the existence of the legendary diminutive creature that was found on an Indonesian island in 2003 have made a remarkable conclusion based on their fossils that were found; the fossils were those of what was referred to as a half-human species that resembles hobbits.
Now, it has been conclusively accepted by almost all scientific forums and authorities that the these midget sized creatures were indeed the ancestors of this amazing being that existed more than 7,00,000 years.
These creatures that had become extinct about 50000 years ago were assumed to be the ancestors of the Hobbit but there was no continuity of the chain of the reasoning to establish that conclusively; this hurdle in understanding was removed by two studies different studies that were conducted.
The find that clinched the argument in favor of the conclusion was the discovery of the dentures and other skeletal remains that were of two children and one adult of this enigmatic being.
This find was analyzed at length by the scientific community and it emerged that Homo Floresienses had arrived on Flores Island about a million years ago and were indeed the ancestors of Hobbits; the size of the creatures was almost the size of a fully grown species.
During the period that followed, they evolved into much smaller creatures through gradual shrinking; this was how they came to be in their diminutive existence known to humankind.
From generation to generation they kept becoming smaller and smaller till they achieved a stage when they were only half of the original size and weight; this process is not unknown to science.
This process has been observed in many species of animals that had shrunk quite drastically due to the life on certain islands; it is called island dwarfism and is stated to be afflicting certain species that live an island life.
The reason for this shrinking effect is attributed to the lack of certain resources that the islands may suffer from; in fact, some species have been shown to start shrink from their original size to even 1/5th or 1/6th over a period of time due to fewer resources.
There was also the existence on Flores, of miniature creatures that resembled elephants and called Stegodons and it is presumed that they were made extent due to continuous and sustained hunting by these miniature men.
While it was true that other species of the animal kingdom had suffered miniaturization due to island dwarfism, this discovery is probably the first instance in which the human race has suffered due to this effect caused by remaining confined to an island.
The head of the study was amazed and testified to the genuineness of the Hobbit stating that it indeed was an extinct type of humans and is quite different from the current human race.
The two theories
What is not surprising is that both the discoveries were within a distance of 100 km of each other in central Flores; it is vastly revealing that the Homo Floresiense discoveries will provide the solutions to the evolutionary puzzles that were posed earlier.
Some answers were definitely provided and the scientific deductions are quite revealing; according to Brumm, the discovery had thrown up a couple of possibilities in explanation.
The first theory that emerged was that the hobbits were a shrunk version of the Homo erectus that was from Java; with heights reaching up to 6 feet and about 70 Kg in weight; it is supposed that they were the first humans to come out from Africa.
The scientist also stated that there had been the discovery of a human-like specimen in Java that was estimated to be about 1.2 million years in late 19th century; at that time, the Indonesian archipelago had been one consolidated mass.
Closer inspection of the dentures and other characteristics revealed that it was the closest in resemblance to being declared as the ancestor of the Hobbit, Brumm stated.
The second theory was that, since they were quite different from the contemporary humans, they were the descendants of another type of humans that were small-made and had come from the African continent.
Conclusions
This put to rest a popular belief that the Hobbits from Flores were actually diminished in size and weight due to affliction by disease or unknown genetic disorders.
The fact that the size of the ancient species was identical to those of the more recent ones; the presumption that the ancient specimens would be nearer to the erect modern day species was thus debunked.
The discoveries were surprising and enlightening; the assumption now is that the species that appeared on Flores about a million years ago was a miniature to start with.
Umrao Singh Umraoz.wordpress.com
Written for: Lars-Magnus Carlsson www.thephilippinepride.com
