| A new study suggests that the hobbits, a | | | | Western Australia at Crawley concluded that |
| diminutive people whose remains were found on | | | | the small stature of the Homo floresiensis |
| the Indonesian island of Flores in 2003 and | | | | was not the result of genetic defects. The |
| 2004, were real humans after all. They were | | | | study, published in the journal Proceedings |
| originally classified as Homo floresiensis, | | | | of the Royal Society B, suggests that the |
| a species distinct from Homo sapiens but the | | | | hobbits' size was caused by a condition known |
| dispute about their status has never abated. | | | | as cretinism. This is due to a lack of |
| | | | iodine. Comparing the pituitary flossa in a |
| Named after J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth | | | | hobbit skull with individuals suffering from |
| heroes, they became known all over the world | | | | cretinism, they found a significant match and |
| after scientific journals published a drawing | | | | thus suggested a new theory. |
| by Peter Schouten that describes a tiny | | | | |
| ape-like man carrying a furry animal on his | | | | The remains of twelve hobbits were originally |
| shoulder. | | | | found in a cave in Liang Bua. Obendorf stated |
| | | | that it is an area where people still suffer |
| Many researchers think that the hobbits' | | | | from goiters that results from iodine |
| small stature (one meter or just over three | | | | deficiency. The new study even mentions that |
| feet) and small head were the result of | | | | local myths include stories of tiny people |
| microcephaly, a neurological disorder that | | | | who lived in caves. |
| still causes some individuals to have an | | | | |
| abnormally small head. They maintain that it | | | | While it may be too early to discard the |
| is not justified to classify them as a | | | | microcephaly hypothesis altogether, the case |
| distinct species. For instance, in 2006 | | | | for hobbits being real humans is much |
| Pennsylvania State University published a | | | | stronger than before. We should probably do |
| study stating that the small head of Homo | | | | well to forget the image of an ape-like man |
| floresiensis was due to microcephaly. | | | | carrying a furry animal on his shoulder and |
| | | | start describing hobbits as real people. It |
| As reported by ScienceNow, a new study | | | | seems that the distinction between hobbits |
| conducted by Peter Obendorf and Benjamin | | | | and humans is found only in Tolkien's |
| Kefford of the RMIT University of Melbourne | | | | Midde-Earth but not on this earth. |
| and Charles Oxnard of the University of | | | | |