A newly discovered fossil has pushed back estimates of both the age and size of the so-called hobbit ancestors to new highs.
Named small primitive human bone Homo floresiensis The artifact was first discovered in 2003 in a cave on the Indonesian island of Flores and is believed to be around 50,000 years old.
Researchers are now report In ~ Nature Communications Similar fossils have been found on the island, but those found at an outdoor site 46 miles from the cave are 700,000 years old. The fossils include the smallest human arm bone ever found.
“This extremely rare specimen is the ancestor of Homo floresiensis “It was extremely small,” co-author Adam Blum of Griffith University in Australia said in a press release, “but the small proportions of these limb bones suggest that this early ancestor of the ‘hobbit’ was much smaller than we thought.”
Hobbit Relatives
Using the bone, the team calculated the ancient hominid’s height at 42 inches, about two inches shorter than its estimated height. H. floresiensis A skeleton discovered at a cave site. H. floresiensis Height estimation was based on the femur.
“This 700,000-year-old adult humerus is not only shorter, Homo floresiensis“This is the smallest humerus known from the global hominin fossil record,” Brum said.
Read more: Meet Homo floresiensis: Indonesia’s Real Hobbit
Origin of H. floresiensis
What we found helps provide information about: H. floresiensis‘ Mysterious origins. For example, in an area such as the arm bone, researchers found two small teeth, and one tooth that was early Homo erectus For Java, this essentially rules out: H. floresiensis Evolved from an earlier, more primitive hominin type.
However, the teeth of the new find are similar to those of the young hobbit found in the cave, but are slightly more primitive. In total, all 10 fossils from the new site are anatomically similar to the fossils from the cave site (although slightly smaller).
But some mysteries remain. Why was this particular group of hominids so small? Where did they come from? How did they get to Flores? Why haven’t hobbit fossils been found anywhere else?
“The evolutionary history of Flores hominins is still largely unknown,” Brumm said. “But the new fossil strongly suggests that the ‘Hobbit’ story actually began around the same time as the group known as early Asian hominins. Homo erectus Somehow, perhaps a million years ago, they became isolated on this remote Indonesian island and over time their body size shrank dramatically.”
Read more: Flores Man Hobbits: Are They Still Alive?
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Before joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik worked as a science journalist for more than 20 years, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global science career issues. He began his career in newspapers but transitioned to science magazines. His work has appeared in publications including Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.
