Last year, Indonesian and Australian paleoanthropologists made a jaw-dropping announcement: The several 3-foot tall skeletons and single grapefruit-sized skull that were discovered in 2004 on a remote island in Indonesia are the remains of a distinct species of humans called Homo floresiensis, who branched off from human lineage at least 800,000 years ago. Not only did the species survive up until 12,000 years ago (as compared to poor Neanderthal’s demise 24,000 years ago), it’s the cutest species in the genus Homo yet. (Aw! I want one.)
The excitement over this newfound extinct hominid is only matched by the fervor with which the claims are disputed by scientists who feel that the skeletal remains are of modern humans who were afflicted with a genetic development disorder. These scientists point to recently-discovered inhabitants on another island 1000 miles north to support their argument that the general human population in Indonesia at the time was on the smaller end of the human height and brain-case scale, and that these H. floresiensis skeletons were actually dwarfs or malformed humans.
In other words, heralding a whole new hominid species based on the discovery of a few exceptionally short people would be like pointing to women in California as evidence that the human race has evolved the ability to store fat exclusively in their lips, or pointing at the inhabitants of the state of Florida as evidence that the human race is severely mentally retarded. (Sorry, that was in extremely bad taste. I would like to pre-offer apologies to all severely mentally retarded people for comparing them to Floridians).
Regardless, the discovery of these little skeletons has captured the public’s imagination, or at least the public who understands and accepts words like “genus,” “evolution,” and “human lineage” as not being sacrilege. Among these godless geeks, the Homo floresiensis’ public relations has been helped by widespread media use of their nickname of the “Hobbit,” after the Lord of the Rings. One can only assume that had the remains been discovered several generations ago, the newspapers would have dubbed the island “Munchkinland” and its inhabitants “Munchkins.”
