# Hobbitses Were Real! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 19, 2008, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864 "2008-12-19T04:42:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/1 "2008-12-19T04:42:54Z")
[New tests make it unlikely the remains were of a victim of disease.](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217124418.htm) > [@](#): > > University of Minnesota anthropology professor Kieran McNulty (along with colleague Karen Baab of Stony Brook University in New York) has made an important contribution toward solving one of the greatest paleoanthropological mysteries in recent history – that fossilized skeletons resembling a mythical “hobbit” creature represent an entirely new species in humanity’s evolutionary chain. > > Discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores in 2003, controversy has surrounded the fossilized hominid skeletons of the so-called “hobbit people,” or Homo floresiensis ever since. Experts are still debating whether the 18,000-year-old remains merely belong to a diminutive population of modern-day humans (with one individual exhibiting “microcephaly,” an abnormally small head) or represent a previously unrecognized branch in humanity’s family tree. > > Using 3D modeling methods, McNulty and his fellow researchers compared the cranial features of this real-life “hobbit” to those of a simulated fossil human (of similar stature) to determine whether or not such a species was distinct from modern humans. So far, efforts to find a ring, said to possess the ability to bend light, have yielded nothing. Further research by a Dr. I. M. Gollum hopes to, if not recover the ring, at least duplicate its abilities, are said to be ongoing. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/2 "2008-12-19T06:30:52Z")
Hmmmm. Interesting that they mention they found _remains_, but according to the way I interpreted the article, they only examined the skull. Hobbits have unsually large footses, and I think if they found the bones from one, it sure would narrow the gap of doubt, **Tuck**. 🙂 Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/3 "2008-12-19T12:00:43Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > .. Further research by a Dr. I. M. Gollum hopes to, if not recover the ring, at least duplicate its abilities, are said to be ongoing. If he wants to find the ring he needs to look in the Hobbitses nasty little pocketses, he does. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/4 "2008-12-19T12:30:28Z")
Everybody knows Dr. Gollum won’t solve that riddle. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/5 "2008-12-19T12:40:07Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Further research by a Dr. I. M. Gollum hopes to, if not recover the ring, at least duplicate its abilities, are said to be ongoing. I read that a Professor Elliot Smeagol says the Gollum guy can’t be trusted. ---
**Author:** ![MovingTarget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@MovingTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovingTarget)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/6 "2008-12-19T14:00:21Z")
See, I read the article, and was looking forward to some serious answers about this breakthrough. And you guys have go and make all your jokes. What’s WRONG with you guys? This could be HUGE ! ! ! FTR, I’m still laughing a little, took a bit to compose myself long enough to post this. Keep up the good work and all that. ---
**Author:** ![the\_Lady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@the\_Lady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Lady)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/7 "2008-12-19T15:32:37Z")
I’m guessing this is just massive coincidence, but CBC Newsworld was running a Nature of Things documentary on the little Hobbit last night. I was planning on googling for more info today - and I don’t even have to. Ah, the Dope has everything. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/8 "2008-12-19T15:51:37Z")
We’re not all caught up in our second breakfasts this morning, ya know. Some of us are in our holes, I’ll thank you kindly to lay off the size of our feetses. You probably shave yours too! ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/9 "2008-12-19T16:01:55Z")
Thanks for the link. For some reason I have been following this story since it first broke pretty closely. This is good news. BTW: The Professor would be happy with this line I believe. “resembling a mythical “hobbit” creature”. He set out to write a myth/legend for England and he would have liked seeing the Hobbit referred to as mythical instead of fictional. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/10 "2008-12-19T16:10:45Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > [New tests make it unlikely the remains were of a victim of disease.](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217124418.htm)So far, efforts to find a ring, said to possess the ability to bend light, have yielded nothing. Further research by a Dr. I. M. Gollum hopes to, if not recover the ring, at least duplicate its abilities, are said to be ongoing. The One Ring does not bend light. It moves any mortal wearer, and an immortal who wills it, into the Unseen Realm. This was covered on the FIRST DAY of Geek 1002. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/11 "2008-12-19T16:21:41Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > The One Ring does not bend light. It moves any mortal wearer, and an immortal who wills it, into the Unseen Realm. Which is why Frodo could see the faces of the Ringwraiths when he put on the Ring on Weathertop, right? But… The Ringwraiths are given form by their clothes, meaning only their bodies are in the Unseen Realm. Yet when Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, etc., don the Ring, they vanish, clothes and all. Does the One Ring have an extra oomph to it that the Nine do not? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/12 "2008-12-19T16:37:32Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > Which is why Frodo could see the faces of the Ringwraiths when he put on the Ring on Weathertop, right? > > But… The Ringwraiths are given form by their clothes, meaning only their bodies are in the Unseen Realm. Yet when Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, etc., don the Ring, they vanish, clothes and all. > > Does the One Ring have an extra oomph to it that the Nine do not? Rather than further hijack this thread with a forum-inappropriate topic, I’ve answered your question in [this CS thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=498266). ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/13 "2008-12-19T16:42:26Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > Which is why Frodo could see the faces of the Ringwraiths when he put on the Ring on Weathertop, right? > > But… The Ringwraiths are given form by their clothes, meaning only their bodies are in the Unseen Realm. Yet when Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, etc., don the Ring, they vanish, clothes and all. > > Does the One Ring have an extra oomph to it that the Nine do not? Well the nine Ringwraiths did not need their rings to be invisible. They were always invisible by the time of the war and for a long time before. Sauron had their rings collected up. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/14 "2008-12-19T16:55:46Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > The One Ring does not bend light. It moves any mortal wearer, and an immortal who wills it, into the Unseen Realm. This was covered on the FIRST DAY of Geek 1002. Yes, well, I took that class some 30 odd years ago and never had the desire to repeat it for reasons superbly explained [by Randall in the documentary _Clerks 2_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJoWoI4I8nM). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/15 "2008-12-19T16:57:22Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Yes, well, I took that class some 30 odd years ago and never had the desire to repeat it for reasons superbly explained [by Randall in the documentary _Clerks 2_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJoWoI4I8nM). 😃 Stop it with your filthy lies. 😉 Geek 1002 was not even on the curriculum until 1982. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/16 "2008-12-19T17:05:56Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Yes, well, I took that class some 30 odd years ago and never had the desire to repeat it for reasons superbly explained [by Randall in the documentary _Clerks 2_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJoWoI4I8nM). 😃 I have studied that documentary numerous times as I am also a Kevin Smith fan and it is of course a local story. What you will note is that Randall is a bitter, sad Star Wars fan made the bitterer by the betrayal from Lucas himself of their fandom. While the pathetic kid in this documentary has his butt handed to him, it is because first and foremost they appear to actually be fans of some lesser work yet I believed known as transformers. Why anyone would take such a strong interest in such a basic and utilitarian electrical distribution device I am not capable of understanding. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/17 "2008-12-19T17:11:22Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I have studied that documentary numerous times as I am also a Kevin Smith fan and it is of course a local story. What you will note is that Randall is a bitter, sad Star Wars fan made the bitterer by the betrayal from Lucas himself of their fandom. While the pathetic kid in this documentary has his butt handed to him, it is because first and foremost they appear to actually be fans of some lesser work yet I believed known as transformers. Why anyone would take such a strong interest in such a basic and utilitarian electrical distribution device I am not capable of understanding. :eek::mad::eek::mad::eek::mad: I don’t understand why you think I’d allow you to mock Optimus Prime without repercussions. Stay where you are; if the velociraptors have to chase you down, things will be even worse. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/18 "2008-12-19T20:00:30Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > But… The Ringwraiths are given form by their clothes, meaning only their bodies are in the Unseen Realm. That’s cos they put their rings up their noses. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/19 "2008-12-19T20:08:25Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > [So far, efforts to find a ring, said to possess the ability to bend light, have yielded nothing. Perhaps when they do the digs at [URL=“[http://image53.webshots.com/153/3/65/33/2491365330028705209lzIJEU\_ph.jpg](http://image53.webshots.com/153/3/65/33/2491365330028705209lzIJEU_ph.jpg)”]Mt. Flores](['Hobbit' Fossils Represent A New Species, Concludes Anthropologist | ScienceDaily](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217124418.htm)) (the extinct volcano on the exact same island) they’ll turn something up. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864/20 "2008-12-19T20:14:03Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Perhaps when they do the digs at [Mt. Flores](http://image53.webshots.com/153/3/65/33/2491365330028705209lzIJEU_ph.jpg) (the extinct volcano on the exact same island) they’ll turn something up. I sure hope not. That ring is suppose to be good and gone via sacrificial Sméagol. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbitses-were-real/477864.md?page=2)