VOA常速英语2008年-Ancient Population of Little People Found on Pa

By Delia Robertson
Johannesburg
12 March 2008

Scientists from a South African university have found evidence of a population of what they say were small-bodied modern humans on an island of Palau, east of the Philippines. VOA's Delia Robertson reports from our bureau in Johannesburg the find appears to support the argument that bones of so-called Hobbits, found on an Indonesian island five years ago, were also the remains¹ of modern humans.

While on the last day of a holiday in Micronesia in 2006, Professor Lee Berger was told by his guide about a large quantity of bones in a sea-washed cave on a tiny island of Palau. Berger, a paleoanthropologist at Johannesburg's University of the Witwatersrand was thrilled to find thousands of bones in the cave.

Within months, Berger and a group of students and scientists had unearthed² the bones and skulls³ of about 25 individuals in two caves. The smallest specimen⁴ was just more than one meter tall, the tallest 1.4 meters.

Bonita de Klerk, a doctoral student at the university, tells VOA the specimens⁵ show characteristics of modern humans.

"Well we look at things like the pelvis and also some of morphology on the face, of some of the fragments, so we have indicated they are modern humans in our paper," said de Klerk.

The bones are between 1,400 and 3,000 years old - indicating that the population probably died out about 1,400 years ago.

De Klerk, whose doctoral project is about small-bodied humans, says that in addition to characteristics of modern humans, the little people of Palau also share characteristics with the one-meter-tall, so-called Hobbits discovered in Indonesia in 2003.

Scientists who discovered the bones of several individuals on the island of Flores argue they represent a separate, primitive⁶ species of hominid identified by small size, reduced chin, large teeth and small brain. The Palauan individuals also share those characteristics, except for the small brain.

De Klerk argues that since the discovery of the ancient Palauans, it is no longer valid⁷ to identify the Hobbits as a separate species.

"In this human population, we are finding some of these very characteristics which they used to describe as significant and they actually based their description of a new species on these certain characteristics. And we are saying if we are finding this in a modern human population, then surely these characteristics should probably not be used to describe a new species," said de Klerk.

Scientists who disagree with the separate species theory argue that dwarfism in modern humans can be caused by a variety of factors. De Klerk says it is either a deformity caused by dietary toxins⁸ or an adaptation caused by such things as dietary stress and environmental factors.

"We know that when you are isolated⁹ on an island, you undergo adaptations because of things like dietary stress," said de Klerk. "There are no large terrestrial mammals on Palau, so they were probably having a diet of near-shore marine¹⁰ organisms. So things like having no predators¹¹, climatic changes, or even this isolation¹², could all help with this island dwarfism."

Consensus¹³ on whether the little people of Indonesia and Palau are modern humans will likely not be reached for some time. Scientists say the discovery on Palau will help determine whether or not modern humans do undergo major size changes in isolated populations.

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 unearthed   

出土的（考古）

参考例句：

• Many unearthed cultural relics are set forth in the exhibition hall. 展览馆里陈列着许多出土文物。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

3 skulls   

颅骨( skull的名词复数 )； 脑袋； 脑子； 脑瓜

参考例句：

• One of the women's skulls found exceeds in capacity that of the average man of today. 现已发现的女性颅骨中，其中有一个的脑容量超过了今天的普通男子。
• We could make a whole plain white with skulls in the moonlight! 我们便能令月光下的平原变白，遍布白色的骷髅！

4 specimen   

n.样本，标本

参考例句：

• You'll need tweezers to hold up the specimen.你要用镊子来夹这标本。
• This specimen is richly variegated in colour.这件标本上有很多颜色。

5 specimens   

n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人

参考例句：

• Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
• The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

7 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

8 toxins   

n.毒素( toxin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The seas have been used as a receptacle for a range of industrial toxins. 海洋成了各种有毒工业废料的大容器。
• Most toxins are naturally excreted from the body. 大部分毒素被自然排出体外。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

10 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

11 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

13 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？