Finding hobbits in Indonesia throws an unexpected wrench into the timeline of human evolution. It could mean hominids we thought died out over a million years ago lived in a remote island time capsule well into “modern” times. It could also mean a species with a brain the size of a chimp managed to leave Africa thousands of years before we thought Homo sapiens did it first.
Or, according to some scientists, it could mean nothing. They argue the bones belong to modern humans afflicted with a disease that inhibits growth.
The Department of Anthropology will tackle this divisive topic on April 2, in the first installment of their new conference series, Dialogues in Biological Anthropology. Part online conversation, part live discussion, the conference puts biological anthropologists with opposing views in conversation with each other and the BU community.
This dialogue will pair Dr. Robert D. Martin, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Curator of Biological Anthropology at the Field Museum of Natural History, with Dr. Fred Smith, Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Illinois State University and immediate Past President of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. Before the conference begins, the guest scientists will post papers online detailing their points of view.
Questions and comments for the scientists sent in through e-mail and text messages will be addressed in real-time during a chaired dialogue between scientists, broadcast online through streaming video on Friday, April 2, at 2PM. Afterwards, the anthropology department will host an open catered reception and roundtable discussion between doctors Martin and Smith, with participation from the audience, beginning at 4PM at the BU Castle. Participants can voice their opinions, and the scientists will close the dialogue with their new views on the topic. A tea reception follows at 5:30PM, also at the Castle.
For more information about this event, contact Kaye Brown at kaybrown@bu.edu.