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| Homo floresiensis |
April
Bruan
Anth102:
1501 Introduction to Physical Anthropology
Whenever a possibly
new hominid species is found, it scrutinized relentlessly to make sure that it
is, in fact, a new species and not an already known species. Homo
floresiensis is a relatively newly found hominid species that is still in
the middle of a debate about whether it is a new species or simply an altered
form of another species. Whether H. floresiensis is an entirely new
species or an altered modern human, it is a fascinating find.
H. floresiensis is named after the
island of Flores in Southeast Asia. H. floresiensis was discovered under
a layer of volcanic ash that is dated from about 12,000 years ago in a
limestone cave called Liang Bau in 2003 (Stein and Rowe). Flores is the only
place where H. floresiensis has been found. The first and most complete
skeleton that was found was named LB1 after the name of the cave. Various
pieces of up to 12 additional skeletons have also been found (Human Origins).
LB1 was a 30-year-old female that is believed to be from approximately 18,000
years ago. It is believed that H. floresiensis lived on the island of
Flores from approximately 17,000 up to 95,000 years ago which means that they
lived during the age of modern humans (Human Origins). LB1 stood at about three
and a half feet tall, was bipedal and weighed around 70 pounds (Stein and
Rowe). For this reason, the species has been given the nickname “Hobbit” after J. R. R. Tolken’s
book The Hobbit that is about little people (Livescience). The brain of H.
floresiensis was about a third of the size of the modern human’s
(Stein and Rowe).
Based on some of
the findings in and around the cave where LB1 was found we can get an idea
about the life of H. floresiensis.
Stone tools such as blades and other utensils were found along with fossils of
animals that were most likely hunted by H. floresiensis (National
Geographic). Remains of a dwarfed species of Stegodons, extinct mammals that
were very similar to elephants, were
found on Flores. Some of the remains have evidence of butchering on them
indicating that they were used as food (Nature). Also found were giant rats and
lizards. H. floresiensis used fire to cook their food as evidenced by
hearths that were found (National Geographic).
Controversy
surrounding H. floresiensis has to do with its belonging to its own,
separate species. There is debate about H. floresiensis being a
descendant of H. erectus or possibly even H. sapiens (Sci-news).
One of the doubts is based on the brain size of H. floresiensis and the
complexity of the tools that were used. Some people believe that H.
floresiensis is H. sapiens with a form of microcephaly or even
Down Syndrome. The remains of H. floresiensis do not support that
hypothesis (Indonesian-find). Another
question about H. floresiensis is how the species came to be on the
island of Flores. One hypothesis is that a small group of H. erectus
made it to the island where over time they evolved into H. floresiensis
by what is known as insular dwarfism. Insular dwarfism is when a mammal evolves
into a smaller body because of the isolation of living on an island (Stein and
Rowe). Insular dwarfism also helps to explain the dwarfed Stegodon species
found on Flores. So far there is no evidence of H. sapiens and H.
floresiensis living together on Flores, but it is possible since their
times overlap (National Geographic).
In conclusion,
whether H. floresiensis remains a unique species or turns out to be a
form of another species, one thing is certain, and that is H. floresiensis
is a fascinating species. The fact that H. floresiensis may be the last
human before H. sapiens, possibly even have interacted with modern
humans, is fascinating to me. Not only is H. floresiensis still mostly a
mystery, but the artists’ impressions
that I have seen make them out to have been a very interesting looking species.
I am very curious to see what becomes of the Hobbit species as the debate
continues.
Works Cited
Bryner, Jeanna.
"Homo Floresiensis: Facts About the 'Hobbit'" LiveScience.
TechMedia Network, 26 Apr. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. <http://www.livescience.com/29100-homo-floresiensis-hobbit-facts.html>.
"Hobbit-Like
Human Ancestor Found in Asia." National Geographic. National
Geographic Society. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1027_041027_homo_floresiensis.html>.
"Homo
Floresiensis." Homo Floresiensis. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
<http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homo-floresiensis>.
"Homo
Floresiensis." Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group. Web. 13 Nov.
2014. <http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v441/n7093/abs/nature04618.html>.
"Homo
Floresiensis - Australian Museum." Homo Floresiensis - Australian
Museum. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
<http://australianmuseum.net.au/Homo-floresiensis>.
"Homo
Floresiensis Distinct Human Species, Says New Research." Breaking
Science News SciNewscom. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.sci-news.com/othersciences/anthropology/science-homo-floresiensis-01226.html>.
"Infobase
Learning - Login." Infobase Learning - Login. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
<http://icof.infobaselearning.com/support-materials/special-reports/2004/indonesian-find-complicates-human-evolution-picture-(special-report).aspx?sr=1>.
Stein, Philip, and
Bruce Rowe. Physical Anthropology. 11th ed. McGraw-Hill Education, 2014.
Print.
Denise Reed
Anth 102: 1001 Introduction to Physical Anthropology
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| Homo erectus/ergaster |
Anth 102: 1001 Introduction to Physical Anthropology
Homo ergaster, also known as Homo
erectus, have been found in Africa, Europe, and Asia. Although both H. ergaster and H. erectus as
phenotypically similar, they are named for the geographic area of their finds.[1] The first discovery was made by Eugene Dubois,
a 19th century anatomist, who was working as a military doctor, in the Dutch
East Indies, now known as Indonesia. As
the excavations of the species continued on, the finds came with more and more
advancement in tools.[2] There are many fascinating aspects attributed
to H. ergaster/erectus, but the greatest discovery was the large distances that
they have traveled. Their skulls and
brains are similar in symmetry and hemisphere separation to modern Homo
sapiens. Many defining characteristics
are becoming more “human like” at this time.[3] H. ergaster/erectus has taken the
evolutionary step to looking and acting more human like.
In 1890 to 1892 Eugene Dubois began searching through Asia looking to prove that humanity did not have their origins in Africa. Although this is a racist way of thinking, it was not uncommon at this time in history.[4] In 1890 Dubois found a jaw fragment at Kedung Brabus. Then in 1891 he was was working at Trinil Java where he found a skull cap, and in 1892 he found a femur, also at Trinil Java. The femur was of a hominin that walked upright bipedal.[5] Dubois, since he was the first to find the species, called it Pithecanthropus erectus, which literally translated means “Ape Man Who Stands Erect”.[6] In 1895 Dubois went back to the Netherlands and presented his findings. This created quite a stir among paleontologists, and more professionals came to Asia to look for evidence that Dubois did find a new species. They have found other remains at Sangiran, Modjokerto, Ngandong, and Sambungmacan.[7] In Africa in 1960 the first discovery of a partial cranium was found by Louis Leakey. In 2003 a partial cranium of KNM-OL 45500 a juvenile or small adult was discovered.[8] The findings in Asia are called H. ergaster and the findings in Africa are called H. erectus. The two species although separated by miles are phenotypically similar, leading us to believe that they are the first to travel long distances.[9] There is some speculation that there were two migrations into China, first into Java and the second into north eastern China[10]
In 1890 to 1892 Eugene Dubois began searching through Asia looking to prove that humanity did not have their origins in Africa. Although this is a racist way of thinking, it was not uncommon at this time in history.[4] In 1890 Dubois found a jaw fragment at Kedung Brabus. Then in 1891 he was was working at Trinil Java where he found a skull cap, and in 1892 he found a femur, also at Trinil Java. The femur was of a hominin that walked upright bipedal.[5] Dubois, since he was the first to find the species, called it Pithecanthropus erectus, which literally translated means “Ape Man Who Stands Erect”.[6] In 1895 Dubois went back to the Netherlands and presented his findings. This created quite a stir among paleontologists, and more professionals came to Asia to look for evidence that Dubois did find a new species. They have found other remains at Sangiran, Modjokerto, Ngandong, and Sambungmacan.[7] In Africa in 1960 the first discovery of a partial cranium was found by Louis Leakey. In 2003 a partial cranium of KNM-OL 45500 a juvenile or small adult was discovered.[8] The findings in Asia are called H. ergaster and the findings in Africa are called H. erectus. The two species although separated by miles are phenotypically similar, leading us to believe that they are the first to travel long distances.[9] There is some speculation that there were two migrations into China, first into Java and the second into north eastern China[10]
Homo ergaster/erectus made
astonishing strides in tool making. They
began with chip rock and progressed to hand axes, cleavers, and picks. They began manipulating the natural world to
suit their needs. The tools that they
used were more durable than that of the basic chip rock. These tools were made from large stone flakes
that were used to produce sharp edges.
The improvement created more durable tools, and they maintained their
sharpness for longer periods of time than their predecessors of chip rock. With examination of these tools it has been
shown that the tools were used on meat, bone, animal hides and wood. These new sets of tools are called Acheulian
stone tools, after St Acheul in France where they found a similar cache of
tools during the 1800s.
It is even supposed that they began
using fire to cook and stay warm. Fire
may have been used as far back as 1.5 million years ago, but this is not
completely sustainable by facts. They
have found charcoal, burnt earth and charred bones with Homo ergaster fossils,
but this may have been from natural fires.
There has been a discovery in Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa that does
suggest the use of fire may have been occurring up to 1.7 million years ago. Archeologists and anthropologists have found
stratified deposits containing burnt stones, charred-calcined bones and traces
of ash that point to repeated burning.[11]
Homo ergaster/erectus was tall and
thin with long legs. Females were about
five feet three inches or 160 centimeters and the males were about five feet
eleven inches or about 180 centimeters.
Their bodies were possibly hairless for improving the cooling of the
body, by sweating. The average brain
size was about 860 cubic centimetres, and their skulls were looking more human
in shape, unlike their predecessors.
Differentiating from humans, “the cranium had a moderate postorbital
constriction (indents behind the eye sockets).
This feature is linked to brain size.
As our ancestors’ brains expanded, their skulls became fuller and more
round with increasingly smaller post-orbital constructions.” according to
Dennis O'Neill who wrote “early Human
Evolution: Homo Ergaster and Erectus”.
Their noses now projected out and this is the first time that this has
happened. The noses of previous
ancestors were flat. They did have mild
prognathism, but it is far less pronounced than previous species. Their jaws were more slightly built giving
them a short face, the front jaw sloped backward with no pointed chin, like we
have today.[12] The arrangement of teeth were what Homo
sapiens have today. They had a reduction
in the size of molars and premolars, making incisors and canines needing to do
more in food processing. The evolution
of the genus Homo is synonymous with the teeth getting smaller. The reason that they are getting smaller may
be do to major changes in diet, increasing emphasis on meat, and new ways of
preparing food, ie., the development of cooking, and more effective tools for
hunting and butchering.[13] This is also the first species that has fully
erect bipedal locomotion.
Although we still had some major
changes that would come to physically change us, there are many similarities
with H. ergaster/erectus that shows the evolution of the species of
mankind. Some major milestones were met
with this species, the capability of walking long distances and adjusting to
different climates, the fully erect bipedal locomotion, and the possible use of
fire. Mankind was truly on his way to
what we have today, thanks to the natural selection at the time of H. ergaster/erectus.
Works
Cited
[1] Dr. Boston, Christine. "Chapter 14
Lecture." Chapter 14 Lecture. Anthropology 102 Class, Reno. Nov. 2014.
Lecture
[2] Rowe, Bruce M. "Chapter 14 Early Species of the
Genus Homo." ANTH 102 Introduction
to Human Evolution. By Philip L. Stein. 11th ed. N.p.: Mc Graw Hill
Education, 2014. 328-30. Print.
[3] Rowe, Bruce M. "Chapter 14 Early Species of the
Genus Homo." ANTH 102 Introduction to
Human Evolution. By Philip L. Stein. 11th ed. N.p.: Mc Graw Hill Education,
2014. 328-30. Print.
[4] Dr. Boston, Christine. "Chapter 14
Lecture." Chapter 14 Lecture. Anthropology 102 Class, Reno. Nov. 2014.
Lecture
[5] Rowe, Bruce M. "Chapter 14 Early Species of the
Genus Homo." ANTH 102 Introduction
to Human Evolution. By Philip L. Stein. 11th ed. N.p.: Mc Graw Hill
Education, 2014. 328-30. Print.
[6] O'Neil, Dennis. "Early Human
Evolution: Homo Ergaster and
Erectus." Early Human Evolution:
Homo Ergaster and Erectus. Palomar, 2013. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.
<http://anthro.palomar.edu/homo/homo_2.htm>.
[7] O'Neil, Dennis. "Early Human Evolution: Homo Ergaster and Erectus." Early Human Evolution: Homo Ergaster and Erectus. Palomar, 2013.
Web. 09 Nov. 2014. <http://anthro.palomar.edu/homo/homo_2.htm>.
[8] Rowe, Bruce M. "Chapter 14 Early Species of the
Genus Homo." ANTH 102 Introduction
to Human Evolution. By Philip L. Stein. 11th ed. N.p.: Mc Graw Hill
Education, 2014. 328-30. Print.
[9] Dr. Boston, Christine. "Chapter 14
Lecture." Chapter 14 Lecture. Anthropology 102 Class, Reno. Nov. 2014.
Lecture.
[10] Dr. Boston, Christine. "Chapter 14
Lecture." Chapter 14 Lecture. Anthropology 102 Class, Reno. Nov. 2014.
Lecture.
[11] O'Neil, Dennis. "Early Human Evolution: Homo Ergaster and Erectus." Early Human Evolution: Homo Ergaster and Erectus. Palomar, 2013.
Web. 09 Nov. 2014. <http://anthro.palomar.edu/homo/homo_2.htm>.
[12] O'Neil, Dennis. "Early Human Evolution: Homo Ergaster and Erectus." Early Human Evolution: Homo Ergaster and Erectus. Palomar, 2013.
Web. 09 Nov. 2014. <http://anthro.palomar.edu/homo/homo_2.htm>.
[13] Rowe, Bruce M. "Chapter 14 Early Species of the
Genus Homo." ANTH 102 Introduction
to Human Evolution. By Philip L. Stein. 11th ed. N.p.: Mc Graw Hill
Education, 2014. 328-30. Print.
27 comments:
Fire at least 1.7 million years old
Good to know
Anthropology 102:1002
My question is about the first paper, covering H. floresiensis. Has any new information come out about this race, whether it's human or something else? It was fascinating to read about these little people, and to imagine them in everyday settings.
Two things: H. florensis is not a race. It is a distinctive human species that predates modern H. sapiens. Race is a cultural concept and is not considered biologically valid. We'll discuss this more later in the term, and it is the subject of your last assignment. As for your question about more information H. florensis this paper was published last term, so it was based on up to date info for that time. If anything new has come up I have not yet seen it, but you can do some of your own research on the topic to see if there is new info.
its fascination how we discover new species and yet we make a movie out of them. The Hobit. We find something new and we try to find everything there is to know about the spices.
Briana banuelos
Antho 102 1001
Briana, I think you misunderstood what the author, April Bruan, was saying. The Hobbit is a book that was adapted into a movie, and it was written decades prior to the discovery of H. floresiensis. This is how that species got the nickname "The Hobbit". It was not the other way around. Also, morphologically speaking both the fictional hobbits and H. floresiensis look nothing alike, except in stature (height), which is where the nickname comes from. :)
I read about the "hobit" when I was researching my paper on Hominans that you didn't except it was a good paper and I learned a lot from it. I too was extremely interested in reading and finding out more about them. I will be following the progress on what they decide, if this is a new species or not. I am rooting for a new species but think that it is not. I think it makes more sense that it is a dwarfed h.Sapiens.
April's piece definitely taught me something new today i had never even heard of the term H. floresiensis prior to reading this . Love it when a student selects a unique topic to discuss.
Jordan R
Its so weird to think that there was a prehuman species before us! Both of these reads are very resourceful especially since our class is on chapter 10 learning about hominids. My question might be a little oblivious but I was just wondering how exactly were the remains of LB1 founds through the lava ash and layers? I feel like her bones would have been destroyed and burned away.
The question of the origin of the homo floresiensis hominin is one that has fascinated me for many years. If the dwarfism occurred on such a short time scale, then why haven't these same changes happened to other island populations such as Polynesians who often grow to very large statures. I believe that homo florsiensis is indeed related to ergaster/erectus, but might have come from a very small founder population, maybe even just one couple, that carried a gene for a form of dwarfism. Genetic analysis of neighboring modern populations show a tendency towards shorter than average statures compared to neighboring islands. I look forward to further research on this subject.
The Homo floresiensis fascinates me. What other stone tools were found with the specimen? Why was everything so small on Flores? Could it just have been a bizarre adaptation that several other species on the island had? I am so curious about this island!
I have been waiting years for the research on Homo Floresiensis to continue! I believe the locals call them Ebu Gogo and so I have always prefered that nickname to Hobbits. I read that even though they have a small brain, their Brodmann's area 10 is similar to modern humans so it is not surprising that they were tool makers.
I have always wondered why our noses began to stick out. Homo erectus is the first hominin to have a more prominent nose. A wider nose cools and humidifies air nicely, having a nose stick out just seems a problem in the intense equatorial sunshine. Of course, I am a person of European decent, but I still wonder at the human nose in relation to the great apes.
Hannah, I answered these questions in class the other day, but we will be watching a video in class today on this species. Your textbook also go in depth on this species, which will be fair game for next week's final exam.
To find out there was species before is is interesting, considering we we were supposedly the first ones on earth. so question, I don't know if I skipped it or not but so with there being another species before are we not considered the first humans? Or are they humans as well?
Aaliyah Caldwell
That is one of the big debates in Paleoanthropology: are our hominid ancestors humans or are they precursors to humans? That debate has gone on for decades, and while some hoped that DNA would help clarify it the debate has just gotten more confusing.
My main question for this blog post is, where did Homo floresiensis come from and how were they able to communicate?
That is the million dollar question! Well, both of them actually. At the time when this paper was written the students (and possibly even anthropologists) did not have access to that information, but regular updates are made available as they can be. You can learn more about this (and other) hominid species through the Smithsonian Human Origins website. Here is the link to their information on H. floriensis: http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homo-floresiensis
LaTroya "Trey" Jamison
I remember us talking about in class that there were no actually evidence when bodily hair began to decrease within our ancestors, but I didn't know "their bodies were possibly hairless for improving the cooling of the body, by sweating".
Reading this I found out that Homo floresiensis was names after an island in Flores, southeast Asia it was discovered under a layer of volcanic ash that was about 12,000 years ago an floresiensis is a fascinating species the last human before sapiens came around.-Alexander Taylor
The Homo florescence caught my attention and left me wanting to know more. A questions that I wanted to know the answer to is what other stone tools were found with the specimen? where did Homo floresiensis come from and how were they able to communicate?
In 1.5 millions years ago they were really using charcoal ? Is there facts cause I thought they were using sticks and tree branches? -Xjavion Boyd
In archaeological contexts charcoal is the end result of burnt organic materials, such as sticks.
I remember this a little bit when we talked about it in class. Mainly stuck with me because the names are so odd and hard to pronounce. My question is how did they figure out the origins of the names and places.. like that was so long ago. that had to take a lot.
Great blog over the hominid species. I recently did some research over the Homo ergaster/erectus species for an assignment. very interesting species, out of the many species we learn about over chapter 8 the Homo ergaster/erectus stood out to me, very unique specie.
-Micah Seals
Its cool to see that as students we can teach/help eachother with things weve never known. Before now i had never heard of Homo floresiensis. April most definitely did a great job especially with the details given!
-JASMINE BUSBY
I enjoyed this article. I love to see how students can learn from each other. but i do wonder how they can trace back that far, how do they trace back to the origins? -Lavonza Marshall
Zay, you should already know the answer to that question. We covered it in Chapter 4, which was a few chapters before we covered human origins in class. :)
My name is Aleisha watts, and the more I read about this species and how far back it comes from gets more and more interesting. Both of the posts were interesting. I think it's interesting knowing how there can be so many more new species to discover. One thing that caught my attention is the mention of bones being found under volcano ash. Wouldn't that have burned the bones down as well. That kinda didn't sound too convincing to me unless it's some type of scientific evidence behind it. I like the fact that H. floresiensis is named after the island of Flores in Southeast Asia.
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