Lucy - Ancestor of Hobbits?
Hobbit is the popular name of Homo floresiensis, the first fossils of which were discovered in Flore, Indonesia in 2003 and first described in 2004. Short stature (about 3ft), microcephaly, brain of the size of an orange (resembling apes), foot to thigh bone ratio of 70% (compared to 50% in modern man) show quite resemblance with Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis). Previously it was postulated that it must have descended from Lucy discovered in 1974 that is dated 3.2 million years. However, a study published in the Journal of Human Evolution authored by Debbie Argue et al. claim Homo habilis, that appeared around 2.3 million years ago to be its ancestor. The stone tools discovered from the site date over 1.1 million years old while Hobbits lived upto 17,000 thousand years ago.
The authors also claim that Hobbits might have been swayed away to the Flores from Africa, almost half the world away, by some tsunami or a similar event.
The biological features of Hobbits and their similarity with habilis seem convincing but it is hard to believe that floresiences, with small brain size and the most primitive technology, could have entered the land of pygmy elephants (stegadons) and giant Komodo dragons by travelling thousands of miles by sea.
Here we enter a lasting debate regarding 'out of Africa theory' of Darwin. Darwin had given whole credit of human evolution to Africa in his Descent of Man (1871). Incidentally, he had said that as most of the apes live in Africa, we should look for our ancestors in Africa. He was not aware that while chimp and Gorilla live in Africa, Gibbon and Orang live in Asia. Therefore, Asia can be another probable centre of human evolution. But, ever since, followers of Darwin have refused any credit for human evolution to Asia.
The authors also claim that Hobbits might have been swayed away to the Flores from Africa, almost half the world away, by some tsunami or a similar event.
The biological features of Hobbits and their similarity with habilis seem convincing but it is hard to believe that floresiences, with small brain size and the most primitive technology, could have entered the land of pygmy elephants (stegadons) and giant Komodo dragons by travelling thousands of miles by sea.
Here we enter a lasting debate regarding 'out of Africa theory' of Darwin. Darwin had given whole credit of human evolution to Africa in his Descent of Man (1871). Incidentally, he had said that as most of the apes live in Africa, we should look for our ancestors in Africa. He was not aware that while chimp and Gorilla live in Africa, Gibbon and Orang live in Asia. Therefore, Asia can be another probable centre of human evolution. But, ever since, followers of Darwin have refused any credit for human evolution to Asia.
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