FEBRUARY 16, 2016
by Chuck Bednar
The unusual species known as the
“hobbits” due to their small stature and unusually long and flat feet were not
related to modern humans and were actually an entirely different species,
according to new research published in the latest edition of the Journal
of Human Evolution.
The new analysis, led by Antoine Balzeau
of the French Natural
History Museum, conducted an analysis of skull bones discovered on the island of Flores
However, it is unlikely that the new
research will put an end to the debate between the two different camps: one
arguing that the short, small-brained hobbits originally descended from Homo
erectus and had become smaller over time; and another claiming that they
were modern humans suffering from some kind of genetic disorder, according to
the AFP.
Nonetheless, Balzeau and Philippe
Charlier, a palaeopathologist at Paris-Descartes University, used high-tech equipment to
closely examine the layers of the Liang Bua 1 (LB1) hobbit skull, the most
intact of the nine known Homo floresiensis, the news agency said. The
duo’s analysis found “no characteristics” associated with Homo sapiens in
the LB1 skull.
Species could still be related to Homo
erectus, however
The skeletal remains of the
15,000-year-old hobbits were first discovered 13 years ago on Flores Island,
Indonesia, and as the Daily Mail explained, they earned their “hobbit”
nicknames because of their resemblance to the creatures featured in JRR
Tolkien’s well-known fantasy novels. They stood an average of three feet tall
and weighed a mere 55 pounds.
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