This newly published paper by ANUs Debbie Argue has been making the news recently. A new analysis of the bones puts Homo floresiensis closer in time to Homo habilis than it does Homo erectus or Homo Sapiens, which suggests the the Hobbit’s lineage was more ancient than recent.
Although the diminutive Homo floresiensis has been known for a decade, its phylogenetic status remains highly contentious. A broad range of potential explanations for the evolution of this species has been explored. One view is that H. floresiensis is derived from Asian Homo erectus that arrived on Flores and subsequently evolved a smaller body size, perhaps to survive the constrained resources they faced in a new island environment. Fossil remains of H. erectus, well known from Java, have not yet been discovered on Flores. The second hypothesis is that H. floresiensis is directly descended from an early Homo lineage with roots in Africa, such as Homo habilis; the third is that it is Homo sapiens with pathology. We use parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic methods to test these hypotheses. Our phylogenetic data build upon those characters previously presented in support of these hypotheses by broadening the range of traits to include the crania, mandibles, dentition, and postcrania of Homo and Australopithecus. The new data and analyses support the hypothesis that H. floresiensis is an early Homo lineage: H. floresiensis is sister either to H. habilis alone or to a clade consisting of at least H. habilis, H. erectus, Homo ergaster, and H. sapiens. A close phylogenetic relationship between H. floresiensis and H. erectus or H. sapiens can be rejected; furthermore, most of the traits separating H. floresiensis from H. sapiens are not readily attributable to pathology (e.g., Down syndrome). The results suggest H. floresiensis is a long-surviving relict of an early (>1.75 Ma) hominin lineage and a hitherto unknown migration out of Africa, and not a recent derivative of either H. erectus or H. sapiens.
See also:
- Origins of Indonesian Hobbits finally revealed (Science Daily, 21 April 2017)
- ‘Hobbit’ species did not evolve from ancestor of modern humans, research finds (The Guardian, 21 April 2017)
- Study shows Indonesian “hobbits” came from Africa (Xinhua, 21 April 2017)
- Hobbit jawbone study redraws the human family tree (Cosmos, 21 April 2017)
- Real-life ‘hobbits’ could be one of the earliest forms of human, say scientists (Indepedent, 21 April 2017)
- Origins of Indonesia’s Flores ‘hobbits’ most likely in Africa and not from ‘Java man’, study claims (Sydney Morning Herald, 21 April 2017
- Mystery human hobbit ancestor may have been first out of Africa (New Scientist, 21 April 2017)
- New theory provides insight on Indonesian ‘hobbits’ (AOL News, 21 April 2017)
- Indonesian hobbit evolved from African ancestor (UPI, 21 April 2017)
- Hobbits really do exist – and it’s now been revealed where they come from (The Mirror, 21 April 2017)
- Hobbit Bones Reveal Evolution Of Ancient Human Species (International Business Times, 21 April 2017)
- Scientists in shock human ‘hobbit’ discovery announcement (Daily Star, 21 April 2017)
- Flores Man ‘hobbits’ found in Indonesia were NOT direct relatives of modern humans, scientists confirm (The Sun, 22 April 2017)
- Indonesian ‘Hobbit’ Not Related To Modern Humans’ Ancestor But Instead Has African Origins: Scientists (Tech Times, 22 April 2017)
- Origins of ‘hobbit’ species discovered (CBC News, 22 April 2017)
- The hobbits were not humans, says new study (Telangana Today, 22 April 2017)
- Indonesia’s ‘Hobbits’ Are Far Older Relatives Than We Originally Thought (Science Alert, 22 April 2017)
- ANU researchers discount theory Indonesian hobbits evolved from Homo erectus (ABC News, 22 April 2017)
- We’re Not Close: Indonesia’s Human-Like ‘Hobbit’ Skeletons Aren’t Our Ancestors (Sputnik News, 22 April 2017)
- Scientists debunk theory that hobbits were man’s cousin (International Business Times, 22 April 2017)
- Study reveals origins of Indonesian ‘hobbits’ (Z News, 22 April 2017)
