From the Paleo-anthropology front

Perhaps all Parisian articles are like this one, but I cracked up, literally laughing out load. It seems that while paleo-archeologist/anthroplogists are trying to decide where the Hobbit people of Indonesia fit into the family tree, one nutritional theory seems to be catching on. It seems that the Hobbit people may have been suffering from a lack of iodine, which would, it seems, account for the very same traits the paleo folks are trying to account for through evolution.

The best part of the story, though, comes toward the end where Richard Ingham states:

The researchers say there is anecdotal evidence from local folklore to back their claim.

The Nage people of central Flores tell tales of ancestors called "ebu gogo" who lived in caves, were short, roughly-built, hairy, pot-bellied and stupid, who stole food, could not cook and had an imperfect language.

"These characteristics are all consistent with ME cretinism," says the study

Classic.