Ancestors of the Hobbits Were Even Smaller, New Research Suggests
20 Years Ago, Researchers Discovered Fossils of an Early Human Species in...
...Indonesia
Twenty years ago on an Indonesian island, scientists discovered fossils of an early human species that stood at about 3 feet 7 inches (107 meters) tall. The discovery, which was published in the journal Nature, sent shockwaves through the scientific community and forced scientists to rethink their understanding of human evolution.
The newly discovered species, which was dubbed Homo floresiensis, or "the hobbit," was much smaller than any other known human species. Its small size and unusual features, such as its long arms and small brain, led some scientists to speculate that it was a descendant of a group of hominins that had left Africa and evolved in isolation on the island of Flores.
However, new research published in the journal Science suggests that the ancestors of the hobbits were even smaller than Homo floresiensis. The new research, which was conducted by a team of scientists from Australia and Indonesia, found that the earliest known fossils of Homo floresiensis date back to between 60,000 and 100,000 years ago. These fossils, which were excavated at a site called Mata Menge, are smaller than any of the previously known Homo floresiensis fossils.
The new research suggests that the ancestors of the hobbits were a group of small-bodied hominins that lived on Flores for at least 100,000 years before the arrival of Homo floresiensis. These hominins, who may have been a different species altogether, may have been the ancestors of the hobbits, or they may have been a separate group that lived alongside the hobbits.
The new research is shedding new light on the complex evolutionary history of Homo floresiensis and its ancestors. It is also helping scientists to better understand the diversity of human species that existed during the Pleistocene epoch.
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