De “Hobbit” van Flores: een mensachtige eilandvorm

The news of the prehistoric ”Hobbit” of Flores was a big surprise. With its small size and endocranial volume, reduced prognathism and relatively recent date, it cannot be compared it with anything else in the human family tree. Scientists again tumble over each other: a pathological freak or a new species? As far as I can overlook the evidence at this moment, the hypothesis that we are dealing with a new species, Homo floresiensis, is the most likely one. However, this does not mean that we have to rewrite the evolutionary history of humans. Namely, the small hominin of Flores fits within the picture of island evolution.