Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Whatever the answer, paleoanthropologists are beginning to realize
that the generally accepted (“textbook”) model of human evolution, in
which long, tall
Homo erectus
is portrayed as the first hominin to migrate
from Africa around 2 million years ago, may be in need of serious revi-
sion. Only time and new discoveries will tell, of course. Happily, Mike
Morwood is doing his utmost to find new discoveries on Flores and
other neighboring islands. For my part, I cannot yet rule out the idea
that
Homo floresiensis
may have been a dwarfed descendant of an earlier
ancestor. However, I would also not be surprised if australopithecine
remains start turning up outside Africa. If so, it would cause a complete
paradigm shift for the field of paleoanthropology. In any event, we can
be sure of one thing: More interesting revelations about
Homo floresiensis
are bound to occur in the future.
Scientists are fueled by their imaginations, and my scientific fanta-
sies have changed because of the discovery of
Homo floresiensis.
When I
was a little girl, I had an intense desire to see a UFO or, even better,
an actual alien. After I grew up and became a paleoanthropologist, my
science-fiction musings shifted to a daydream about the invention of a
time machine. Over the years, I have periodically entertained myself
by speculating about what prehistoric time and place I would choose to
visit if I could take just one ride. (I am still torn by this one—perhaps
a two-stop trip to 1.8 million years ago to take in Olduvai Gorge and
Dmanisi.) What I wonder is whether a time machine would validate our
generally accepted ideas about early hominins, or would we find that
prehistory was
completely
different from what scientists have inferred?
Fascinating question though it is, I dwell less on it now in favor of a
new fantasy. Oh please, please won't someone find real, live
ebu gogo
(or
their equivalents) in some isolated and previously undiscovered refuge
somewhere in the world? Wouldn't that be something?
