US EditionThe 'Hobbits' Mysteriously Disappeared 50,000 Years Ago. Our New Study Reveals What Happened to Their Home
A prolonged drought reduced freshwater and Stegodon prey, stressing Homo floresiensis and possibly leading to encounters with Homo sapiens, with a volcanic eruption also impacting extinction.
- On Dec. 8, a study in Communications Earth & Environment reports a prolonged drought and a nearby volcano eruption circa 50,000 years ago likely contributed to Homo floresiensis' disappearance from Liang Bua, Flores island.
- Using a stalagmite from Liang Luar, researchers measured d18O and Mg/Ca ratios to compile the most detailed local climate record, reconstructing seasonal rainfall for Liang Bua.
- The fossil record reveals that oxygen-isotope patterns in Stegodon fossils and tooth enamel matched the stalagmite record, dating about 90% of Stegodon florensis insularis remains to 76,000–61,000 years ago, while cut marks on juvenile Stegodon bones show they were key prey for H. floresiensis.
- Researchers warn that dwindling freshwater pushed hobbits toward coastal areas where they may have encountered Homo sapiens present by at least 60,000 years ago, with evidence above the volcanic ash layer at Liang Bua.
- The study provides a framework for future work examining H. floresiensis extinction, highlighting freshwater availability as critical and urging searches at other potential Flores sites, the study authors say.
16 Articles
16 Articles
The 'hobbits' mysteriously disappeared 50,000 years ago. Our new study reveals what happened to their home
About 50,000 years ago, humanity lost one of its last surviving hominin cousins, Homo floresiensis (also known as "the hobbit" thanks to its small stature). The cause of its disappearance, after more than a million years living on the isolated volcanic island of Flores, Indonesia, has been a longstanding mystery.
The ‘hobbits’ mysteriously disappeared 50,000 years ago. Our new study reveals what happened to their home
_Homo floresiensis_ skull. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SAAbout 50,000 years ago, humanity lost one of its last surviving hominin cousins, Homo floresiensis (also known as “the hobbit” thanks to its small stature). The cause of its disappearance, after more than a million years living on the isolated volcanic island of Flores, Indonesia, has been a longstanding mystery. Now, new evidence suggests a period of extreme drought starting about 61,000 yea…
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