Oak Park Newspaper

Oxford Educated University of Illinois Professor Dr. Lawrence Keeley, Professor Dr. Phillips, and Doctoral Candidate and Researcher Russell Quick were some of the Distinguished Speakers at the UIC Discussion.
© Oak Park Journal photo

Science is to be taken seriously and there are some serious misgivings to be found in the story and research about the "Tiny Humans: The Hobbits of Flores", published by the National Geographic in their April 2005 publication. There
was enough doubt and suspicion to raise the eyebrows of
some of the world's top scientists.

A meeting was held at the University of Illinois in Chicago
and the Professors who hosted the event all had many
questions that they all wanted answered. The room was filled with not only specimens of early humans, but also Professors, Grad students, interested parties, and the press.

Doctoral Candidate Russell Quick began the meeting with
some formal introductions and background information on
the topic to be discussed, based upon research published by
the National Geographic in their magazine and broadcast on
the airwaves to millions of viewers.

Dr. Jack Prost raises questions to the gathered scientists
© Oak Park Journal photo

Dr. Jack Prost was the first speaker to address the group.
He began with a slide show illustrating the normal
development of both human and other primates of the great
ape category. It was noted that there were profound
differences in shape and proportion from a given
young example to an adult, in all the species examined.
If we examine the skull of a young orangutan and compare
that to the skull being exhibited as a new possible human,
the one being called Homo floresiensis, we find more
similarity with a young orangutan (note the front of the face
which is missing from the displayed casting). Dr. Prost
believes, after conferring with specialists in ape and
monkey morphology, that the Homo floresiensis is
about 75% likely to be a young orangutan. Orangutans
have been kept as pets for thousands of years and so to
find one near human tools is not surprising.

The zygomatic structure, a straight line on the skull
pertaining to the cheek region of the face does not appear human in structure, added Dr. Prost. There are still more problems with the mandible (lower jaw) of the specimen in question. The teeth appear to be human in structure, but
there are two separate issues of trouble. One is that the
teeth show wear that humans from all over the world have shown when they grind their foods with stones, and that
implies agriculture, and records of agriculture do not go
back that far in time. The other issue with the mandible
and the teeth is that they are wrong. The photo of the lower
jaw shows two teeth rotated 90%, and this does not happen
in nature. It appears as though someone may have rotated
the human teeth in the jaw to make them fit, any dentist
would spot this immediately. The teeth on the two jaws
also do not line up with one another, and this too does not occur in nature. If this were a diminutive size caused
by a encephalic disorder, the teeth would normally be
askew and all over the place, not in a neat order.

Dr. Jim Phillips from the University of Illinois, noted that
he too was short in stature but still had a large brain capacity.
If Homo floresiensis were a modern human it would have to have a 50% increase in its brain mass to even begin to fit into the area of a homo erectus morphology. The 18,000 year
old tools found in the cave area are common for the world
globally at that time in human history. Dr. Phillips went on
to say that there could also be a number of false time associations due to the water floods coming into the cave through history. Water flows can easily lead to false associations.

Dr. Phillips then wondered if one would require parallel evolution of technology. Would a being having a 380cc
brain mass be creating items of tool technology on the same level as a human with a 1200cc brain mass?

Dr. Phillips believes that the tools found had no
manufacturing association with the skull exhibited. In
other words, the skull shown had nothing to do with the
tools noted.

Dr. Keeley, an Oxford trained Professor with extensive knowledge of stone tools and warfare commented after
watching the National Geographic Film. Professor Keeley watched the video this weekend and " it enraged me. Total bunk...non-sense. Hardly any facts presented in the hour
long show." "Is the skull from a hominid?" "Incredible-
-not credible" Professor Keeley also noted that dating
from water layered substances is no good.

Professor Prost added, that if National Geographic wanted to
fly him to the sight and run a few tests on the skull he would
be happy to come up with something scientific in terms of the
reality of the find. If it is a young Orangutans skull with the
front part missing then a simple x-ray of the skull would show
the young Orangutans teeth still in the skull waiting to come out-and the teeth would not be human. That test should
have been done and reported.

The meeting ended with some newspaper people asking questions of the scientists. One of the things that will remain
in my mind is that if you want to study science, anthropology,
archeology, and related fields this is one fine institution
with a host of educated and smart teachers. Four stars for
the University of Illinois in Chicago. Keep up the good work.

Editors note: It should give one pause that if a being
classified as a modern human, and with one third the brain
mass is doing the same tool making technology as the homo sapiens of today-why should they be extinct. The competition from a larger being with a far less evolved brain (modern man - in comparison) should not have removed the smaller smarter beings from the planet through greater abilities. We would
have to have evolved from the dumber species.

This whole story of the Hobbits from Flores needs much
more investigation so that we are not again fooled by charlatans, as the case was with the Piltdown Man of
England.

Piltdown Man
The Bogus Bones Caper
Copyright © 1996-1997 by Richard Harter

Dr. Jack Prost Questions many of the assertions brought out or claimed
by writers in the National Geographic Story about Small People of Ancient Origin.
© Oak Park Journal photo

Dr. Jack Prost Questions as he Illustrates with his slide show a whole
list of troubling questions, avoided or not thought of.
© Oak Park Journal photo

Homo sapiens (man who reasons) The modern species of human being shown in all stages of normal life. The first skull is from a child, the next an adolescent, an adult, and last an elderly person.

The photo on the left is the Hobbit from Flores and the skull in the hand
of Professor Prost is that of a young Orangutans. The brain capacity
is the same for the Hobbit as it is for the young Orangutans.

Note the conditions of similar aged casting of skulls (the dates being
similar to the Hobbit of Flores casting) and then look at the almost
pristine condition of the Hobbit.
© Oak Park Journal photo

Mandible width and its relevance to brain capacity. The
wider the jaw the larger the brain in all primates.

In this photo you can see two teeth, one on each side
(the middle tooth) that has been placed in the jaw
90 degrees to the way nature would have it. It fits
nice but does not stand examination. This photo
was presented at the discussion. It was also noted
that the teeth from the mandible and upper jaw did
not line up, also not the way nature does things.

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