The Real Hobbits -- Hominids of Indonesia February 13, 2006

Last year, an Australian team of scientists on the Indonesian island of Flores made an astounding discovery: the remains of seven ?real-life hobbits??diminutive, three-foot tall humanoids who existed just 18,000 years ago. Dubbed Homo floreseinsis, the tiny human relatives were quickly compared to J.R.R. Tolkein?s hobbits.

Most astoundingly, the recent age of the bones meant the ?hobbits? co-existed and shared the same jungles and hunting grounds as modern humans. The remote location of Flores was cut off from the outside world until relatively recently, and was/is home to species that only existed there like the dwarf elephant and komodo dragon.

The scientist who led the team, Dr. Peter Brown, will present his research and address the controversy initiated by a rival research team.

Tickets available here.