{"id":3178,"date":"2024-08-06T18:21:46","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T18:21:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=3178"},"modified":"2024-10-17T14:15:14","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T14:15:14","slug":"discovery-of-smallest-human-arm-bone-illuminates-evolution-of-homo-floresiensis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/discovery-of-smallest-human-arm-bone-illuminates-evolution-of-homo-floresiensis\/","title":{"rendered":"Discovery of Smallest Human Arm Bone Illuminates Evolution of Homo Floresiensis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\"> Scientists unveiled the smallest adult limb bone ever discovered, shedding new light on the evolution of Homo floresiensis, the tiny &#8220;Hobbits&#8221; of Flores. This remarkable find, dated to 700,000 years old, reveals that these early hominins were even smaller than previously thought.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A groundbreaking discovery on the Indonesian island of Flores has unveiled the smallest adult limb bone ever found in the human fossil record, offering new insights into the evolution of <em>Homo floresiensis<\/em>, often dubbed the &#8220;Hobbits&#8221; of Flores. The findings, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-50649-7\" title=\"\">published<\/a> today in Nature Communications, promise to reshape our understanding of these ancient, diminutive humans.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The bone, a tiny humerus fragment, dates back approximately 700,000 years and adds crucial evidence to ongoing debates about the origins and development of <em>Homo floresiensis<\/em>. First discovered in 2003 in Liang Bua cave by a team co-led by the late Mike Morwood, a New Zealand archaeologist, these small-brained hominins remained a mystery. Were they a dwarfed descendant of early Asian <em>Homo erectus<\/em>, or did they originate from a more ancient and already petite hominin species?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:24px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The real-life \u2018hobbits\u2019 of Indonesia\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CLUBNPxg5QY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:8px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The new fossils, excavated from Mata Menge \u2014 an open-air site situated 75 kilometers east of Liang Bua \u2014 belong to at least four individuals and include teeth and the newly discovered arm bone. The bone&#8217;s diminutive size suggests these early hominins stood around 100 centimeters tall, roughly six centimeters shorter than <em>Homo floresiensis<\/em> from Liang Bua.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis 700,000-year-old adult humerus is not just shorter than that of <em>Homo floresiensis<\/em>, it is the smallest upper arm bone known from the hominin fossil record worldwide,\u201d Adam Brumm, a professor of archaeology at Griffith University and co-author of the study, said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/news.griffith.edu.au\/2024\/08\/07\/smallest-arm-bone-in-human-fossil-record-sheds-light-on-the-dawn-of-homo-floresiensis\/\" title=\"\">news release<\/a>. \u201cThis very rare specimen confirms our hypothesis that the ancestors of <em>Homo floresiensis<\/em> were extremely small in body size.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This discovery elucidates that extreme body size reduction began early in the evolution of Flores hominins. While their dental characteristics were less specialized than those found in <em>Homo floresiensis<\/em>, their small stature was already well-established.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe evolutionary history of the Flores hominins is still largely unknown,\u201d added Brumm. \u201cHowever, the new fossils strongly suggest that the \u2018Hobbit\u2019 story did indeed begin when a group of the early Asian hominins known as <em>Homo erectus<\/em> somehow became isolated on this remote Indonesian island, perhaps 1 million years ago, and underwent a dramatic body size reduction over time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These findings represent not only a scientific triumph but also a testament to the persistent efforts to unravel the origins of these fascinating ancient humans. As research continues, each discovery like this humerus fragment brings us closer to fully understanding the remarkable evolutionary journey of <em>Homo floresiensis<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A groundbreaking discovery on the Indonesian island of Flores has unveiled the smallest adult limb bone ever found in the human fossil record, offering new insights into the evolution of Homo floresiensis, often dubbed the &#8220;Hobbits&#8221; of Flores. The findings, published today in Nature Communications, promise to reshape our understanding of these ancient, diminutive humans. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-people-culture"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A groundbreaking discovery on the Indonesian island of Flores has unveiled the smallest adult limb bone ever found in the human fossil record, offering new insights into the evolution of Homo floresiensis, often dubbed the &#8220;Hobbits&#8221; of Flores. The findings, published today in Nature Communications, promise to reshape our understanding of these ancient, diminutive humans.&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3178"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3200,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3178\/revisions\/3200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}