For those of you interested in The Hobbit (Homo floresiensis) there is yet another study proposing microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type II.
"In the study, released by the journal Science, an international team of researchers led by Anita Rauch of the Institute of Human Genetics in Erlangen, Germany, examined a number of individuals with a condition known as microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type II — or MOPD II for short. What they found was that a key mutation in chromosome 21 likely led to the condition — a finding that represents a first-of-its-kind genetic explanation for this type of dwarfism."
Some links for The Hobbit online (I make no guarantee regarding the quality of their content):
Hobbit-Like Human Ancestor Found in Asia
Homo floresiensis - Wikipedia
Scientists Scuttle Claims that the "Hobbit" Fossil from Flores, Indonesia, is a New Hominid
Homo floresiensis: the Hobbit
Flores hobbit was sick human: scientists
Homo Floresiensis: the Hobbits of Flores Island
Flores Man - Hobbit (more links from About.com)
Searches for the Hobbit in Journals:
Science/AAAS
Journal of Human Evolution
Journals via Wiley InterScience
Journals via SpringerLink
Some links for MOPD II:
Hall, JG, C Flora, CI Scott Jr, RM Pauli and KI Tanaka (2004) "Majewski Osteodysplastic Primordial Dwarfism Type II (MOPD II): Natural History and Clinical Findings". American Journal of Medical Genetics. 130A:55-72.
PrimordialDwarfism.com
1 comment:
I just wonder if this condition can account for all of the other so-called primitive features of Homo floresiensis that are found for example in the wrist and shoulder bones. Also the lengths of the limb bones don't seem to match such an affliction either, lus there was more than one specimen. How lucky or should I say unlucky, for us that a whole family would be found afflicted with this condition. Of course, you can use afflictions to eradicate the entire fossil record and for example attribute the grandiosity of sauropods to a glandular condition that only afflicted a few unfortunate individuals that we happened to stumble upon.
Hopefully we’ll know more once the original research team gets back to the caves in Flores and to the other islands. Hard to believe, but their work was halted by the Indonesian government at one point further adding fuel to this mess. You have to wonder what Jacob's role, the originator of the microcephalic theory, was in stopping the Australian team's work and how much of his motivation was due to professional jealousy. Unfortunately, with Dr. Jacob’s recent death we may never know the entire story regarding his true motivations.
Of course, I have a vested interest in this discovery, having written a speculative fiction novel called Flores Girl: The Children God Forgot on the recent fossil find. If you are interested, there is more on this ongoing controversy about Homo floresiensis at www.floresgirl.com or catch the free Flores Girl podcast at Podiobooks.com.
Erik John Bertel
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