Find Out ‘What’s Up with Hobbits’ at Next ALLELE Lecture

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The controversial discovery of a possible new species of man, named after the short, hole-dwelling Halflings in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels, will be discussed at The Alabama Lectures on Life’s Evolution, or ALLELE, series on March 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Biology Building on The University of Alabama campus.

Dr. Dean Falk, chair of the department of anthropology at Florida State University, will be talking about Hobbits (or Homo floresiensis) in her lecture “What’s Up with Hobbits (Homo floresiensis)?” a possible new species of human that lived on the Indonesian island of Flores during the prehistoric era.

Homo floresiensis have been controversial in the field of anthropology since their discovery in 2003. Some scientists, Falk included, think Homo floresiensis are a new human species because, although similar to Homo sapiens, they have two distinct differing characteristics: a short stature and tiny brain. Others think the species, which went extinct about 12,000 years ago, is part of the Homo sapiens species.

“The discovery of Homo floresiensis has shaken the field of anthropology because until this discovery it was thought that Homo sapiens were the only humans on the planet,” Falk said. “Because of Homo floresiensis, everyone is re-examining the big picture now.”

The discovery of Hobbits has sparked other research projects for Falk, including the evolution of the brain and cognition in higher primates and humans. She is involved in an internationally-collaborated research project, which is being supported by the National Geographic Society, that may offer insight into human brain development, she said.

Falk has written a dozen books and more than 70 published articles on brain evolution in humans and primates, Hobbits and human consciousness. Her specialty areas of study include the primate behavior, paleoanthropology, evolution of the hominin brain and cognition, and the origins of music and language.

Her most recently published book, “Finding Our Tongues,” discusses the role of mothers and infants in the evolution of language, music and art. Falk also has appeared in television programs with the National Geographic Channel, NOVA, Discovery, the British Broadcasting Company and the Australian Broadcasting Company for her expertise on Hobbits and brain evolution in humans and primates.

The third year of the ALLELE series is made possible in large part by private gifts from Lou Perry of La Jolla, Calif., Eric Hopkins of Austin, Texas, and The Barbara and Frank Peters Foundation of Corona del Mar, Calif. In addition to private support, The ALLELE series is supported by UA’s College of Arts and Sciences; and the departments of anthropology, biological sciences, history, philosophy and psychology.

The lectures are designed for a non-technical audience and are free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.bama.ua.edu/~evolution/alleleindex.html.

The College of Arts and Sciences is the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All-American Teams.