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Smallest Human Limb Bone Ever Sheds New Light on Homo floresiensis, The 'Hobbits'

Early Homo floresiensis was even smaller than previously thought and may have evolved from isolated Homo erectus populations.

'Hobbit' people on Flores Island are definitely not Homo Sapiens

The smaller humans who lived on the Flores Island in Indonesia until 12,000 years ago were not Homo sapiens but a different species, a new study confirms.

The hobbits may not be real - Flores bones show features of Down syndrome, not new species

In 2004, anthropologists and archaeologists working in Indonesia uncovered what was named “the biggest anthropological finding for 100 years” – fragmentary skeletal remains from the island of Flores were uncovered, appearing to be a new species: Homo floresiensis. But now, new research challenges that find, claiming that the uncovered skeletons were in fact just an […]

Scientists grow brain-like tissue in petri dish

Most medical research looking to identify the mechanisms of a disease or test treatments rely on animal models. While very useful, mice for instance (a favorite lab pet for researchers) do not have nearly the same brain structure or genes as humans. Even if some genes and proteins scientists target are the same both in […]

Real-life hobbit's face revealed after reconstruction

Coincident with the much anticipated release of the new Lord of the Rings flick, a forensic anthropologist went through the painstaking process of reconstructing the face of the now famous Flores “hobbit”. The facial reconstruction shows a figure that looks a lot more modern than scientists would have thought.   Homo floresiensis caused a wave of controversy […]

Mysterious hominid fossils found in China hint towards a new human species

An incredible find was publicized just earlier  – fossils remains from stone age people were unearthed from two caves in China. Upon further inspection it was found that the bone features, particularly skulls, were unlike any other human or early ancestor remains ever found, suggesting that the researchers may have actually found a new species […]

Tiny Pacific skeletons lead to hobbit debate

[digg-me] [reddit-me]After it was proved that Homo floresiensis (”Man of Flores”, nicknamed Hobbit) is a different species than humans, the tiny skeletons found in the caves of the Pacific islands of Palau let to the theory that similar remains found in Indonesia are a very unique species. The Palau skeletons which are from 900 and […]

New Light Shed On The 'Hobbit'

  Homo floresiensis (“Man of Flores”, nicknamed Hobbit) is the name for what may be a species in the genus Homo, remarkable for its small body, small brain, and survival until relatively recent times. It is a 3-foot-tall, 18,000-year-old hominin skeleton with no chin and some other  strange and less obvious features. It is believed […]