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Fossils Reveal Even Smaller 'Hobbits,' 3.2 Feet Tall, Roamed Flores 700,000 Years Ago

Aug 6, 2024, 03:26 PM

Recent fossil discoveries on the Indonesian island of Flores suggest that even smaller 'hobbits' roamed the area around 700,000 years ago. These ancient humans, known as Homo floresiensis, were significantly smaller than previously thought, with some individuals standing just 3.2 feet tall. The fossils, including the smallest arm bone in the human fossil record, provide new insights into the evolution of Homo floresiensis. Researchers continue to debate the origins of these 'hobbits,' with some questioning the hypothesis that they evolved from Homo erectus. The discovery of these tiny fossils from Mata Menge and Liang Bua, as reported in NatureComms, sheds light on the complex evolutionary history of early humans in Southeast Asia.