Dean Falk
The “Hobbits” of Flores Island: Homo floresiensis, Body and Soul
…new findings from the most recently discovered human species
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Lensic Performing Arts Center
7:00 PM
Dr. Dean Falk gives an illustrated talk on a recent controversial paleoanthropological find. This amazing fossil discovery has prompted speculation ranging from a new species of human to humans with birth defects to a phenomenon known as island dwarfing.
Scientists were intrigued at the recent discovery of a miniature human species (Homo floresiensis) that lived a mere 18,000 years ago on the Indonesian island of Flores. The most complete specimen is a three-foot tall woman who had long arms and a little ape-sized braincase. They nicknamed her ‘Hobbit’.
Since the original discovery in October 2004, scientists have found partial remains of seven other individuals. Evidence suggests that these tiny humans fashioned sophisticated tools, hunted miniature elephants, made fire, and cooked. How could this be, given its tiny brain? To glean details about its brain, an international team headed by Dean Falk analyzed three-dimensional computer reconstructions of Hobbit’s internal braincase. The findings have startling implications for the evolution of the brain and intelligence – not just in hobbits, but throughout the human fossil record.
Dr. Falk is Hale G. Smith Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology, Florida State University. Her research focuses on the evolution of the brain and cognition in higher primates, including hominins. A newly revised and expanded edition of her book, Braindance, examines what science has to say about the evolution of the human brain and the origins of humanity as a species. One reviewer writes “Braindance strives to explain what truly distinguishes human beings in terms as accessible to lay readers as it is to field professionals and academic scholarship.”
We are grateful for the generous support of our sponsors, Betty and Luke Vortman, The Santa Fe Institute, and the Lensic, Santa Fe’s Performing Arts Center.
We appreciate the gracious hospitality provided for the lecturer by AMAYA at Hotel Santa Fe.
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Images: Brain Images and Author Photo: Courtesy of Dean Falk
Illustration: Used by permission of the artist, Michael Hagelberg
