This is really cool. I learned about it first last night listening to the BBC world service. Which I suggest you all do. Anyway.
Somewhere in the Indonesian archipelago scientists have found remains of a new species of people dating back to as early as 13,000 years ago, when many Homo sapiens were farming and generally evolving into something that we are very similar to these days. Evolutionarily identical at least. Maybe loincloths are the way to go.
This species Homo floresiensis was
approximately only one meter tall, had the head the size of a grapefruit, and a brain about a third the size of ours. Which, surprisingly is smaller than chimpanzee brains, but these newly discovered 'Hobbits', as they're being called, had very evolved tool making behavior and were organized hunters. All in all this is very big. As you may or may not know but we are the only species in the genus HOMO, and to find a species dating back only 13,000 in the same genus, is tremendous. Anyway, read it all here at Nature.
Draper
Posted by thynkhard
at 7:43 AM EDT
