gpronger's Journal: The "Hobbit" aka "Flores Man" Likely Early Human Ancestor

Homo floresiensis ("Flores Man", nicknamed Hobbit)was discovered in 2003 and represents a potential survivor of an early hominid species. It is believed to have survived to about 12,000 years ago on the Indonesian island of Flores.

Debate has been ongoing if it represented modern man impacted by dwarfism due to living on an island, microcephaly, or other genetic diseases, or an earlier homo species that survived to near modern day on the island.

The current issue of the Scientist covers recent developments which indicate that the "Hobbit" was likely an ancestor of an early homo species, which survived to near modern times. The article considers cranial evidence that it may be a H. erectus ancestor or foot structure that it may be a H. erectus ancestor.

In both cases, though the evidence is that a very early ancestor of modern man existed on the island up to very recent times.