Evolution club debates human ancestor

A hobbit specimen was the center of attention Monday at the Darwin Club meeting.

Members of the club, composed of anthropology graduate students and faculty members, arrived prepared. An article from the American Journal of Physical
Anthropology titled “Brief Communication: ‘Pathological’ Deformation in the Skull of LB1, the Type Specimen of Homo floresiensis,” along with three other scholarly articles, helped guide the meeting.

Much of the night was spent examining the “hobbit”

from Indonesia and debating whether it represented a previously unknown Hominin species or was just an example of a pathological Homo sapien.

“We need more skulls of these things, I think,” said Tom Schoenemann, faculty coordinator of the club. “If someone asked me how many more I would need to see to be convinced, I would say one more would be nice.”

The club meets biweekly, usually the second and fourth Mondays of the month, to focus on recent articles, current research or the interests of
visiting scholars.

Though the club is primarily composed of anthropology majors, graduate students and faculty members, undergraduate students who are interested in biological anthropology are welcome. Within the hobbit debate, members also discussed topics such as DNA testing.

The meeting adjourned after a short discussion of the teaching of evolution in public schools. The next meeting of the Darwin Club will be at 4 p.m. Feb. 14 in Student Building 159. Refreshments are always provided.

For more information about the Darwin Club, visit www.indiana.edu/~anthro/index.shtml.