College of Sciences Distinguished Speaker Series
Matthew Tocheri, Ph.D.
Canada Research Chair in Human Origins
Lakehead University, Ontario, Canada
Evolution and the Significance of the Hobbits
We don’t know everything about our early ancestors—but we keep learning more! Paleoanthropologists constantly work in the field, excavating new areas with groundbreaking technology, and continually filling in some of the gaps about our understanding of human evolution. Recent excavations include remains of one of the most recently discovered early human species, Homo floresiensis (nicknamed ‘Hobbit’), and have so far only been found on the Island of Flores, Indonesia. This species was approximately 3 feet 6 inches tall, possibly the results of island dwarfism.
In this talk, we will discuss hypotheses about how, when and why this particular human species became extinct, and whether modern humans (Homo sapiens) played any direct or indirect role in this process.
For more information and to RSVP, www.sciences.ucf.edu/dss
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