May 7, 2009

Hobbits discovered on remote island … by Harry Potter

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Artists version of a real-life "hobbit"

Artists version of a real-life "hobbit"

According to a report in The Independent, remains found on an Indonesian island appear to support the notion that “hobbits” existed — or at least, the remains, found on a remote Indonesian island, certainly resemble J.R.R. Tolkien‘s creation. As the report by Steve Connor puts it, “A miniature species of extinct humans, nicknamed ‘hobbits’, possessed unusual anatomical features explained by their complete isolation from the rest of humanity for thousands of years on their remote island home in Indonesia, studies have found.”

The report says “The tiny people, who grew to an adult height of no more than three feet, astounded scientists in 2004 when a skull and partial skeletons were unearthed from a cave on the island of Flores. Radiocarbon dating suggested that the species, Homo floresiensis, had lived in and around the cave for tens of thousand of years before dying out about 17,000 years ago.”

Dennis Johnson is the founder of MobyLives, and the co-founder and co-publisher of Melville House.

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