Anthro Prof Russ Ciochon comments on redating of "hobbit"-like species in science news

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Russ Ciochon
Russ Ciochon

University of Iowa Russell Ciochon was a source for several science news outlets in March, commenting on a paper published in Nature. The paper redates Homo florensiensis, an ancient, small, “hobbit”-like species of human. When fossils were first uncovered at Liang Bua Cave, Flores, an Indonesian island, they were thought to be as recent as 18,000 years old. The Nature paper now states these fossils are closer to 100,000 and 60,000 years old.

Ciochon was contacted to comment on the new date and its implications for hominin evolution.

The original paper, Nature: Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua in Indonesia

News articles quoting Ciochon:

Ciochon is a professor in the Department of Anthropology, part of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. He is a biological anthropologist with research interests in Asia (specifically Southeast Asia). His research involves characterizing the initial migrations of early Homo into this region, about 1.6 mya.

The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers about 70 majors across the humanities; fine, performing and literary arts; natural and mathematical sciences; social and behavioral sciences; and communication disciplines. About 15,000 undergraduate and nearly 2,000 graduate students study each year in the college’s 37 departments, led by faculty at the forefront of teaching and research in their disciplines. The college teaches all Iowa undergraduates through the college's general education program, CLAS CORE. About 80 percent of all Iowa undergraduates begin their academic journey in CLAS. The college confers about 60 percent of the university's bachelor's degrees each academic year.