Studies say "Hobbits" were unknown species

PARIS (AFP) – The tiny an-cient humans dubbed hobbits, whose remains were discovered on an Indonesian island in 2003, were a previously unknown species altogether, according to two new studies.

Debate has raged in the scientific community since the fossils were found on the island of Flores, with some experts insisting they were descended from Homo erectus and others saying evolution could not account for their small brains.

• VIDEOS: See below
• Daily Mail: Island's ancient dwarf humans

About three feet (a meter) tall and weighing 65 pounds (30 kilos), the tiny, tool-making hunters may have roamed the remote island as recently as 8,000 years ago. Their fossils are about 18,000 years old.

Many scientists have said Homo floresiensis, as the creature is now formally known, was a prehistoric human stunted by natural selection... More>>

PHOTO: U. of Wollongong, Australia, artist's impression of a human species discovered on Indonesian in 2003. Diminutive humans are a new species, not pygmies with shrivelled brains, researchers reported (Daily Mail/Nat'l Geo).

What three-foot tall humans might have looked like (0:29)

Examining the Hobbit's skull and bones ScienceFriday.com (NPR)