According to an article by science writer Leigh Dayton in The Australian (March 11 online edition), the bones of the tiny hominid Homo floresiensis, aka the Hobbit, were badly damaged while in the care of Indonesian paleoanthropologist Teuku Jacob. According to Leigh's report, the charge is being made by archaeologist Mike Morwood, leader of the Australian side of the joint Australian-Indonesian team that discovered the bones on the island of Flores. Jacob is quoted as denying the accusation, but Leigh also quotes Tony Djubiantono, director of the Center for Archaeology in Jakarta, to the effect that the bones were not damaged while being transported back to the Center as Jacob apparently claims. She also quotes Djubiantono as saying that Jacob had made vague threats about putting future research at risk if an official complaint were made.

Any damage to the hominid would be tragic; we will no doubt be hearing more about this story, including further confirmation of the facts of the case, in the very near future.