An update on Homo floresiensis, a.k.a. the "Hobbit" Part 1

Part 1 of 7 of a talk given on the 13/02/2007 by Colin Groves, Professor of Biological Anthropology at the ANU Canberra.

The talk was organized by the Canberra Skeptics and was about the Homo floresiensis remains found on the island of Flores, Indonesia.

Many apologies for the video and audio quality here, this was my first attempt at recording a lecture. Due to YouTubes low resolution, much of the screen text will be lost but Colin does read most of it for us.

Also apologies to the people who asked some very interesting questions after both my tape and battery ran out.

More information Colin Grove's work can be found here: http://arts.anu.edu.au/grovco/
& here: http://arts.anu.edu.au/AandA/people/staff/groves.asp

The Canberra Skeptics can be found here: http://finch.customer.netspace.net.au/skeptics/

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Homo
• floresiensis
• hobbit
• evolution
• Colin
• Groves
• Anthropology
• Indonesia
• Flores
• Canberra
• Skeptics

[DrStevenz]

The speaker would have been better if he would have refraimed from anti-biblical bigotry statements. He should act like a man. One should be able to speak about this Man-like animal without feeling threatened. The creature really existed but it does not change the fact of the resurrection of Christ.

[mddawson1]

@DrStevenz You know there is some doubt as to whether Jesus ever existed? Check out jesusneverexisted com.

[star4evr9]

@mddawson1 The fact of Jesus existance on earth is as backed up by historical record as any other person in recorded history and even moreso. Of course he existed. We may all have different views of who he was or why he was here but, the fact that he exisited is beyond all logical debate.

[mddawson1]

@star4evr9 Please tell me what historical text outside the bible confirms Jesus existence - in fact please tell me of an eyewitness account written by the witness. There is more evidence for Santa Claus than there is for jesus. Check out jesusneverexisted dotcom.

[JordoF6]

@TheBonzworth The earth is billions of years old man,Not thousands thats why.

[GnosticHumanist]

@star4evr9

Actually no, outside of the Bible (fables) there's no evidence of Jesus Christ ever existing. We have numerous writers who were living in that area during that time and NONE mention him at all. What they DO mention is many wandering gnostic preachers all telling the exact same story as Jesus Christ, with the virgin birth, etc. Not surprising since that area was clearly influenced not only by Zoroastrianism, but other religions identical to Chrstian mythology, like Mithraism.

[emancoy]

@TheBonzworth biblical timeline? like the real King Herod who died 4 years before christs alleged birth.

[mddawson1]

@TheBonzworth I am not the one limiting the age of the Earth based on a book of myths written by bronze age goat herders. It is sensible to ignore writings by people who had no idea of how the world works.

[TheBonzworth]

yes I know there is more than one dating method i cant give a whole lesson in 500characters but thats how the scientists that determined the age on these specimens to be between 13k-94k years old, they used carbon14 dating on this occasion and they dint get a acurate age because the samples were contaminated by other elements that came from"the fountains of the deep" where there is a lack of light, needed for carbon14 to exist. Its not bs to consider the BIBLE, its bs to limit posibilities.

[mddawson1]

@TheBonzworth - Did you know that there is more than one radiometric dating method? Uranium-lead dating method Samarium-neodymium dating method Potassium-argon dating method Rubidium-strontium dating method Uranium-thorium dating method Radiocarbon dating method Fission track dating method Chlorine-36 dating method Optically stimulated luminescence dating method Uranium lead has an error rate of only 2 million years in 2.5 billion years. You need to study geology not BS