”Hobbit” was ”iodine-deficient human,

[Still Waters]

The debate over the origins of so-called Homo floresiensis-the ”hobbit”-has been re-ignited as scientists have claimed that it was nothing but the iodine-deficient species of human.

Charles Oxnard of the University of Western Australia’s Emeritus and his colleagues have reconfirmed, on the post-cranial skeleton, their original finding on the skull that Homo floresiensis in fact bears the hallmarks of humans-Homo sapiens-affected by hypothyroid cretinism.

Read more...

[Eldorado]

awww....poor wee mite.

Must have had a hard life.

[Aus Der Box Skeptisch]

Good article I read this last night.

Seems plausible.

[Stardrive]

Good find Still Waters. I ended up reading an addition article or two from the website you linked to. On to the subject matter...

Let's see, the Hobbit lived on an island correct? Well I couldn't help it but to goggle iodine food sources and lo and behold seafood, sea salt, seaweed, and kelp are on the list, along with other things...

Food Sources of Iodine:

Asparagus, Dulse, Garlic, Kelp, Lima beans, Mushrooms, Seafood, Sea salt and fortified salt, Seaweed, Sesame seeds, Soybeans, Spinach, Summer squash, Swiss chard, Turnip greens.

I guess it's still possible they suffered from iodine deficiency. But it doesn't seem likely to me because of the readily available food sources of it.

Show me the goiters!

[Eldorado]

I guess it's still possible they suffered from iodine deficiency. But it doesn't seem likely to me because of the readily available food sources of it.

Show me the goiters!

Couldn't this individual "hobbit" have been born with hypothyroid disease?

[NatureBoff]

Mathematics based hoo-ha. I don't believe this conclusion, there's too much additional circumstancial evidence imo. Mathematical analysis has also given us the fabric of space-time which is impossible to marry with the lab-tested quantum theory. Give me a break.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the scientists involved held strong religious beliefs that man is the only hominin on the planet.

Edited October 1, 2010 by Humblemun

[Stardrive]

Couldn't this individual "hobbit" have been born with hypothyroid disease?

Researching....

I don't see why not.

Causes of Thyroid Disease

What causes thyroid problems? There are a variety of factors that can contribute to the development of thyroid problems:

Exposure to radiation, such as occurred after the Chernobyl nuclear accident

Overconsumption of isoflavone-intensive soy products, such as soy protein, capsules, and powders

Some drugs, such as lithium and the heart drug cordarone, can cause hypothyroidism.

An overconsumption or shortage of iodine in the diet can also trigger some thyroid problems. (This also applies to iodine-containing supplements, such as kelp and bladderwrack.)

Radiation treatment to my head, neck or chest. Radiation treatment for tonsils, adenoids, lymph nodes, thymus gland problems, or acne

"Nasal Radium Therapy," which took place during the 1940s through 1960s, as a treatment for tonsillitis, colds and other ailments, or as a military submariner and/or pilot who had trouble with drastic changes in pressure

Overconsumption of uncooked "goitrogenic" foods, such as brussels sprouts, broccoli, rutabaga, turnips, kohlrabi, radishes, cauliflower, African cassava, millet, babassu, cabbage and kale

Surgical treatments for thyroid cancer, goiter, or nodules, in which all or part of the thyroid is removed, leave you hypothyroid

Radioactive iodine treatment (RAI) for Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism

Edit: insert link

Edited October 1, 2010 by Stardrive

[+OverSword]

Mathematics based hoo-ha. I don't believe this conclusion, there's too much additional circumstancial evidence imo. Mathematical analysis has also given us the fabric of space-time which is impossible to marry with the lab-tested quantum theory. Give me a break.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the scientists involved held strong religious beliefs that man is the only hominin on the planet.

Thank GOD for people on the internet who know more about a subject than the scientists who are actually researching the subject. Kind of like me and global warming!

[farandaway]

Interesting web site. It looks like they've been going back and forth on this subject since 2003. I think the only way this will get resolved, is if they find another specimen. As Stardrive pointed out, it does seem as though an island dweller would have adequate resources of iodine available. I guess over consumption of iodine can have the same effect. I will have to see if Colin Groves comes up with anything new. Very interesting subject.

Edited October 1, 2010 by farandaway

[JGirl]

it seems more likely to me that iodine deficiency is the answer here. not that i wouldn't think it was cool if it were a new species however...

[Torgo]

They need to keep looking.

[Hurrikane]

I have heard of this skeleton but have not really looked into the accounts in great detail. What are the skeletal characteristics of the "hobbit" that make it different from other primate species?

As for an iodine deficiency theory. It seems like a good idea to me as iodine is a necessary component in producing thyroid hormones that are important factors in growth (or so i was taught in Food and Nutrition 101 ) I'd like to know more about this...

[psyche101]

This theory has been proposed before and discounted, now it is back again. I wonder if it will be validated this time.

[psyche101]

I have heard of this skeleton but have not really looked into the accounts in great detail. What are the skeletal characteristics of the "hobbit" that make it different from other primate species?

As for an iodine deficiency theory. It seems like a good idea to me as iodine is a necessary component in producing thyroid hormones that are important factors in growth (or so i was taught in Food and Nutrition 101 ) I'd like to know more about this...

'Hobbit' wrist bones suggest a distinct species LINK

[Hurrikane]

'Hobbit' wrist bones suggest a distinct species LINK

Wikipedia with a ton of sources! Finally a wikipedia page that is actually useful!

From just a quick visual look over the bones shown (wrist, arm, shoulder, skull) the "Hobbit" bones look more like other primate species bones than humans. I might be mistaken obviously, identifying primate vs human bones based on pictures (especially in this case) is quite challenging.

My only concern is that they have disregarded the Iodine Deficiency Theory relatively quickly and I could not find a clear reason as to why they were able to disregard it even with the bones structure being different. Is it just because there would have been clear sources of Iodine around?

[psyche101]

Wikipedia with a ton of sources! Finally a wikipedia page that is actually useful!

From just a quick visual look over the bones shown (wrist, arm, shoulder, skull) the "Hobbit" bones look more like other primate species bones than humans. I might be mistaken obviously, identifying primate vs human bones based on pictures (especially in this case) is quite challenging.

My only concern is that they have disregarded the Iodine Deficiency Theory relatively quickly and I could not find a clear reason as to why they were able to disregard it even with the bones structure being different. Is it just because there would have been clear sources of Iodine around?

When Groves looked over the entire skeleton he found that anatomical features regularly found in cretins did not match up with the structure of the Flores model, yet that seems to be why the new hypothesis challenges it. However, it does pay to note that this theory says this could be a non sapien cretinous species as well, if not the preferred option. I find it a tad confusing to be honest. It would seem the claim that this is a cretinous homo sapien is a rather half cocked.

In 2010 Colin Groves compared the Flores bones with those of ten people who had had cretinism, focusing on anatomical features which are typical of the disease. He found no overlap, and stated that he had put the claim to rest

Link

In conclusion, as a result of the changes due to hypothyroidism, individual cretins show, throughout the entire skeleton, mixtures of features, some like unaffected humans, some like apes, and some unique, that, despite assertions to the contrary, are rather like the character mosaic described for the Liang Bua remains. Therefore these remains are most likely to be endemic cretins of species H. sapiens, a species known to be present in the region from at least 42 ka B.P. and not a new species. That they may be endemic cretins of another hominin species is acknowledged but is a more remote possibility.

LINK

[Copasetic]

'Hobbit' wrist bones suggest a distinct species LINK

If the "hobbit" was iodine deficient, thus thyroid hormone deficient, I wouldn't expect their bones to "look right"--As thyroid hormones play a pivotal role in bone resorption and deposition.

[psyche101]

If the "hobbit" was iodine deficient, thus thyroid hormone deficient, I wouldn't expect their bones to "look right"--As thyroid hormones play a pivotal role in bone resorption and deposition.

That is why Groves seems to have dropped his earlier claim, it seems strange that Oxnard appears to be using the same argument to argue for cretinism? Perhaps I am reading it wrong, may I trouble you to help me wrap my head around this one?

If one has a thyroid removed late in life, is a dietary increase in calcium necessary to maintain quality of life?

Cheers Copa. Thanks for the reply.

[Non sequitur]

im sure elijah wood would LOVE to hear you guys talking bout him this way..