Moriens
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Remains of at least nine "hobbits" have been discovered, making it almost certain the 3ft-tall creatures really are a new species of human.A year ago the world of science was stunned by the announcement that a hitherto unknown type of miniature human had been found on the Indonesian island of Flores.The original fossils consisted of a single partial skeleton, including the skull, of a female who lived 18,000 years ago.
Stone tools, evidence of fire-making, and the bones of a dwarf elephant
apparently hunted by the creature were also found.
The hominid, nicknamed "The Hobbit" after the little people in JRR Tolkein's Lord Of The Rings trilogy, was thought to be an entirely new species of human.
As well as being just 3ft tall, it had a grapefruit-sized brain about as large as a chimpanzee's.
The small head is controversial, because it contradicts theories that assume a large brain is necessary for intelligence.
Scientists writing in the latest issue of the journal Nature have now described the discovery of more "hobbit" fossils in a cave on Flores island called Liang Bua.
They include a new jaw bone and the right arm of the original specimen, as well as a number of other limb and finger bones.
1849hrs 11/10/05
Sky News
Stone tools, evidence of fire-making, and the bones of a dwarf elephant
apparently hunted by the creature were also found.
The hominid, nicknamed "The Hobbit" after the little people in JRR Tolkein's Lord Of The Rings trilogy, was thought to be an entirely new species of human.
As well as being just 3ft tall, it had a grapefruit-sized brain about as large as a chimpanzee's.
The small head is controversial, because it contradicts theories that assume a large brain is necessary for intelligence.
Scientists writing in the latest issue of the journal Nature have now described the discovery of more "hobbit" fossils in a cave on Flores island called Liang Bua.
They include a new jaw bone and the right arm of the original specimen, as well as a number of other limb and finger bones.
1849hrs 11/10/05
Sky News
