WASHINGTON. A recent study has unveiled that the ancestors of the so-called “hobbits” — a diminutive early human species discovered on an Indonesian island two decades ago — were even smaller than previously known. The hobbits, or Homo floresiensis, were already notable for their height of about 3.5 feet (1.07 meters), but new fossils suggest their ancestors were slightly shorter.
“We did not expect that we would find smaller individuals from such an old site,” said Yousuke Kaifu, a study co-author from the University of Tokyo, in an email.
The original hobbit fossils, named after characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” date back approximately 60,000 to 100,000 years. The newly discovered fossils were excavated from Mata Menge, a site about 45 miles from the cave where the first hobbits were found. These new findings date back around 700,000 years.
Initial indications of these smaller predecessors came in 2016, when researchers analyzed a jawbone and teeth from the Mata Menge site. The latest study, which includes a tiny arm bone fragment and additional teeth, shows that these early humans were approximately 2.4 inches (6 centimeters) shorter than their later hobbit relatives.
“They’ve convincingly shown that these were very small individuals,” commented Dean Falk, an evolutionary anthropologist at Florida State University, who was not involved in the research.
Published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, the study adds a new chapter to the debate about the evolution of the hobbits, whose exact place in human evolutionary history remains unclear. Researchers are still investigating whether the hobbits evolved from an earlier, taller species such as Homo erectus or an even more primitive human ancestor.
“This question remains unanswered and will continue to be a focus of research for some time to come,” said Matt Tocheri, an anthropologist at Canada’s Lakehead University, who was not involved with the study.
As scientists continue to explore the origins and evolution of these unique early humans, further research and fossil discoveries will be crucial to understanding their role in the broader narrative of human evolution.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
