New Study Reveals Ancestors of “Hobbits” Were Even Smaller
Twenty years after the discovery of “hobbit” fossils on an Indonesian island, a recent study has unveiled surprising findings about their ancestors’ diminutive size. Researchers, including Yousuke Kaifu from the University of Tokyo, were amazed to uncover smaller individuals at the ancient Mata Menge site, located near where the original “hobbit” fossils were unearthed between 60,000 and 100,000 years ago. Analysis of arm bones and teeth dating back 700,000 years indicates that these predecessors were approximately 6 centimeters shorter than the well-known “hobbits,” shedding new light on the evolutionary lineage of Homo floresiensis. Published in Nature Communications, the study adds…
