via various sources, 14 November 2023: Anthropologist Gregory Forth suggests that Homo floresiensis, nicknamed ‘hobbits’ and thought to be extinct around 50,000 years ago, might still exist in Indonesia’s Flores Island. He bases this on eyewitness accounts from more than 30 people who claim to have seen creatures resembling these ancient humans. This species, discovered around 20 years ago, is known for its small stature, standing at just 3ft 6ins. However, this theory is met with skepticism by other experts, such as John Hawks, who argue that the likelihood of such a species remaining undiscovered in a densely populated area like Flores is highly improbable.
However, Gregory Forth claims that some of our ancient relatives are still alive today. The retired professor of anthropology at the University of Alberta told Live Science: “We simply don’t know when this species became extinct or indeed dare I say — I did dare say — we don’t even know if it is extinct. So there is some possibility that it is still alive.”
He also claimed in his thesis last year in The Scientist that he had even spoken with people who said they saw something resembling a Homo floresiensis. Gregory wrote: “My aim in writing the book was to find the best explanation – that is, the most rational and empirically best supported – of Lio accounts of the creatures.
“These include reports of sightings by more than 30 eyewitnesses, all of whom I spoke with directly. And I conclude that the best way to explain what they told me is that a non-sapiens hominin has survived on Flores to the present or very recent times.”
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