Discoveries of bones showing one metre high proto-humans in Indonesia known informally as 'Hobbits' is due to restart. What are the prospects?
In 2004, a joint Indonesian-Australian archaeology team made sensational discoveries on the island of Flores. The team discovered bones that seemed to show a completely new species of hominid, who would have looked like early men about the size of a chimpanzee. This new species, officially called Homo Floresiensis (men of Flores, that is), quickly attracted the nickname of ‘Hobbits,’ because of their small stature and the fact that they lived alongside much taller proto-people. The bones appeared to date from as recently as 18,000 years ago. This is important in that it is a much later date than scientists had believed that any such rival to human beings had survived. Did the ‘Hobbits’ have language? Were they able to live in harmony with early people or were they competitors or even enemies? So many questions were posed by this discovery that scientists were thrown into a frenzy of activity.
However, not everyone has been happy with the discovery. There are of course the evolution-deniers who refuse to accept scientific evidence. More importantly, there are the scientists who rejected the bones as suggesting a new species but instead argued that they were the results of ordinary people of the time with brain or skull disorder (microcephaly) and unusually short stature (pygmies). The arguments between scientists are a perfectly normal part of the scientific method. There are many reasons why scientists should argue about evidence and what it means: in some cases, people have been studying and writing about evidence for many years and a rival theory can be used as a threat against their position; in other cases, there may be genuine disagreement about the meaning of something; it is also possible that what appears to be evidence is really something else or has even been falsified. It is important that any claim be examined rigorously and that everyone who is qualified to do so and wishes to do so should have a chance of examining evidence or at least good documented records of the evidence.
Unfortunately, at least some of the bones have been damaged quite severely while under the supervision of the Indonesian archaeology partners. It is not known whether this was as a result of accident or incompetence. However, the controversy caused over the whole issue led to the Indonesian government closing down the Liang Bua caves where the discoveries had been made to prevent any more argument. Not until one month ago was permission received for further excavations to take place and now archaeologists are excited about the prospects for future discoveries. Southeast Asia is a very important place for understanding the evolution of man and huge parts of the region have not been excavated properly or even at all because of lack of money or expertise or because of warfare and other problems.
John Walsh, Shinawatra University, March 2007
