1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,640 The comedy4cast network. Let's dog ear that for now. 2 00:00:07,584 --> 00:00:14,164 This is comedy4cast, Episode 818, Far From the Shire. 3 00:00:16,064 --> 00:00:22,084 It's time once again for the Dog Days of Podcasting. For more information and 4 00:00:22,084 --> 00:00:26,484 to hear all the shows, go to dogdaysofpodcasting.com. 5 00:00:26,784 --> 00:00:35,444 Let's get started with Odd News Plus. Here are our odd news stories for 6 00:00:35,444 --> 00:00:38,324 Monday, August 26th, 2024. 7 00:00:38,804 --> 00:00:42,684 First up, a look at your daily horoscope. If you're a Gemini, 8 00:00:42,944 --> 00:00:46,304 a playful and flirtatious energy surrounds you today. 9 00:00:46,564 --> 00:00:52,264 Be mindful of your words and actions, as a casual remark could be misinterpreted. 10 00:00:52,284 --> 00:00:54,364 Remember what happened the last time that happened? 11 00:00:55,184 --> 00:00:57,464 You had to fake your own death and move to Dayton. 12 00:00:59,704 --> 00:01:03,744 Now, let's get to our actual, for real, odd news story. 13 00:01:04,064 --> 00:01:09,024 The Lord of the Rings is the gift that seems to keep on giving. And giving. 14 00:01:09,904 --> 00:01:16,004 And giving. Whether you want it to or not. Like a relative shoving more food 15 00:01:16,004 --> 00:01:17,244 onto your plate at Thanksgiving. 16 00:01:17,724 --> 00:01:21,064 No, Gran Gran, I don't want any more Silmarillion. 17 00:01:21,524 --> 00:01:25,144 And, thanks to new information about a 20-year-old discovery, 18 00:01:25,584 --> 00:01:30,004 we've just been reminded that at least one element of the story has worked its 19 00:01:30,004 --> 00:01:33,364 way into the real world and is here to stay. 20 00:01:33,864 --> 00:01:39,304 Back in 2004, some fossils were discovered on the Indonesian Isle of Flores. 21 00:01:39,584 --> 00:01:45,864 A group of explorers, or THE group of explorers, had come across fossils of 22 00:01:45,864 --> 00:01:49,784 an early human species that stood about 3.5 feet tall. 23 00:01:50,184 --> 00:01:53,824 Their diminutive size earned the species the nickname. 24 00:01:55,024 --> 00:01:59,764 Hobbits. And like everything else Lord of the Rings, someone's always coming 25 00:01:59,764 --> 00:02:01,664 along to reinterpret the story. 26 00:02:01,784 --> 00:02:05,864 Meaning it's no surprise that we have new information on the species that is 27 00:02:05,864 --> 00:02:08,764 officially classified as Homo floresiensis. 28 00:02:09,084 --> 00:02:13,544 A new study suggests that ancestors of the hobbits were even shorter, 29 00:02:13,784 --> 00:02:15,964 by around two and a half inches. 30 00:02:16,284 --> 00:02:22,164 The original hobbit fossils date back to between 60,000 and 100,000 years ago. 31 00:02:22,464 --> 00:02:28,304 The new fossils were excavated at a site called Mata Menge, about 45 miles from 32 00:02:28,304 --> 00:02:30,544 the cave where the first hobbit remains were uncovered. 33 00:02:30,964 --> 00:02:35,484 Researchers have debated how the hobbits evolved to be so small and where they 34 00:02:35,484 --> 00:02:37,544 fall in the human evolutionary story. 35 00:02:37,944 --> 00:02:41,924 They're thought to be among the last early human species to go extinct. 36 00:02:42,264 --> 00:02:46,084 Scientists don't yet know whether the hobbits shrank from an earlier, 37 00:02:46,264 --> 00:02:52,364 taller human species, Homo erectus, that lived in the area, or from an even 38 00:02:52,364 --> 00:02:54,144 more primitive human predecessor. 39 00:02:54,564 --> 00:02:59,984 More research and fossils are needed to pin down the hobbit's place in human evolution. 40 00:03:00,544 --> 00:03:03,364 Great. Expect another sequel. 41 00:03:05,404 --> 00:03:08,964 And finally, coffee or tea? Which is better? 42 00:03:09,184 --> 00:03:13,704 To find out, we sent eight lab mice to a local coffee shop. 43 00:03:13,944 --> 00:03:18,584 Spoiler alert, it did not go well. In order to drink the coffee or tea, 44 00:03:18,864 --> 00:03:21,184 the mice had to dive into the cups. 45 00:03:21,464 --> 00:03:26,444 And while mice are, by nature, good swimmers, they are not, by nature, 46 00:03:26,664 --> 00:03:32,164 good at swimming in water that has been heated to 195 degrees Fahrenheit. 47 00:03:32,724 --> 00:03:37,324 The good news is we got our beverages for free when we pointed out that there 48 00:03:37,324 --> 00:03:39,484 were mice in our drinks. The bad news? 49 00:03:40,004 --> 00:03:45,344 Cookie, Pip, Hhadow, and Buttons, you will be missed. 50 00:03:49,224 --> 00:03:52,704 That about wraps it up for today's Odd News Plus. 51 00:03:52,984 --> 00:03:58,144 A big thanks to the comedy4cast patrons for helping make this show possible. 52 00:03:58,604 --> 00:04:04,644 Story, voices, and original music by Clinton Alvord. Copyright 2024. 53 00:04:05,404 --> 00:04:10,584 All rights reserved. Talk to you next time. But for now, that's it. 54 00:04:10,684 --> 00:04:13,184 We're done, done, done, done, done. Bye-bye. 55 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:24,874 Music.