15 research outputs found
Carbonate sedimentation and extensional tectonics in the Maltese graben systems
Five large geological maps in pocket on inside back cover have not been filmed - please apply direct to the issuing universityAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DX209741 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo
Endothelial calcium signaling in rabbit arteries and its local alterations in early-stage atherosclerosis
Are the small human-like fossils found on Flores human endemic cretins?
Fossils from Liang Bua (LB) on Flores, Indonesia, including a nearly complete skeleton (LB1) dated to 18 kyr BP, were assigned to a new species, Homo floresiensis. We hypothesize that these individuals are myxoedematous endemic (ME) cretins, part of an inland population of (mostly unaffected) Homo sapiens. ME cretins are born without a functioning thyroid; their congenital hypothyroidism leads to severe dwarfism and reduced brain size, but less severe mental retardation and motor disability than neurological endemic cretins. We show that the fossils display many signs of congenital hypothyroidism, including enlarged pituitary fossa, and that distinctive primitive features of LB1 such as the double rooted lower premolar and the primitive wrist morphology are consistent with the hypothesis. We find that the null hypothesis (that LB1 is not a cretin) is rejected by the pituitary fossa size of LB1, and by multivariate analyses of cranial measures. We show that critical environmental factors were potentially present on Flores, how remains of cretins but not of unaffected individuals could be preserved in caves, and that extant oral traditions may provide a record of cretinism