Meet Cousin Florence

Fig. 1 Map of Indonesia

In 2003 scientists found remains of another human species at Ling Bua

cave on the Indonesian island of Flores. Homo floresiensis was only about
1m in height and fully bipedal with a brain of 380cc and a weight of 25kg.
Seven individuals have been found, although LB1 is the one described
here. The skull has human-like teeth with a receding forehead and no
chin. The cranial vault had a typical shape of Homo erectus, with the skull
showing reduced prognathism, a thick eyebrow ridge and thick bones. (See Fig. 2) The palate is more
V shaped (cf U shaped in chimp). Long arms suggest H. floresiensis may have spent much of its time in
trees. It has been dated at 38 - 18 kybp though archeological evidence suggests these people lived at
Liang Bua from 95,000 - 13,000 years ago. They used stone tools and fire, and hunted pygmy
elephants, Komodo dragons, and the giant rats found on Flores. Its discoverers believe that H.
floresiensis is a dwarf form of H. erectus.
Because of the damp condition and young age (fossilisation takes
at least 40,000 years), the bones of LB1 have not fossilized (i.e
turned to stone), and have the consistency of mashed potatoes.
The most complete of the remains, named LB1, consists of an
almost complete skull and a partial skeleton (leg bones, parts of
the pelvis, hands and feet, and other fragments). LB1 was an
adult female of about 30. Males could have been larger, though
the other remains found so far all are the same size as LB1.
There is a possibility that
mtDNA might be able to be
retrieved from the
Fig. 2relatively
H. floresiensis skull
young bones. However,
the tropical climate of
Indonesia reduces the chance of success, as high temperatures
degrade DNA [the Neanderthal fossils from which mtDNA have
been extracted all came from much colder climates than Flores].
Fig. 2 H. floresiensis skull

Fig. 3 Brain size relative to height The brain size of the skull is extraordinarily small, at 380cc,
especially when compared to their body size (see Fig. 3). This is
as small as any australopithecine ever discovered, and fairly typical
for a chimpanzee. (Chimps average about 400cc but are physically
bigger than H. floresiensis.) This is smaller than would be expected
even for a dwarf form of H. erectus, and suggests there was active
selection for a small brain size for some reason. (Human
pygmies, at 1.37 - 1.5m tall, are nothing like H. floresiensis; their
brains are almost as large as those of normal-sized humans,
1200cc or so, and their body proportions are within the normal
range for the species - LB1’s are not).
Fig. 4 The dig at Ling Bua cave,
Despite the small brain, the cognitive Flores
Fig. 3 Brain Size Relative to Height
abilities of H. floresiensis should not be underestimated. They made
complex stone tools, arrived at a time when no other hominin was able to
cross the sea and survived in the area after the arrival of H. sapiens.
Stone tools have been found with the remains and can only have been
made by H floresiensis. These tools are more complex than those of H.
erectus, mostly simple flakes struck bifacially from a core. They are found
through the entire deposit (from 90,000 to 13,000 years ago) and,
interestingly, they are not like any stone tools made by H. erectus. [Other
stone tools dated at 840,000 years have been found elsewhere on Flores,
probably associated with H erectus.]
Flores has always been separated from Java by a deep sea passage so the
arrival of these early humans indicates an ability to cross sea barriers,
probably by bamboo water-craft.
Modern humans arrived on Flores between 55,000 and 35,000 years ago, and presumably interacted
with H. floresiensis, though there is no evidence of this at Liang Bua. However, Indonesian folklore tells
of creatures called Ebu Gogo which were small, hairy, inarticulate, and walkedFig.with
5. Anan oddimpression
artist’s gait. This
sounds remarkably suggestive of H. floresiensis. Geological records show there was a massive volcanic
eruption about 12,000 years ago, which would have killed off the population
living in this area of the island. Local folk tales suggest they survived in
other parts of Flores until the Dutch arrived in the 1500s, with last said to
have been spotted 100 years ago.
Some scientists have claimed that the skull is extremely similar to that of a
microcephalic specimen from Crete (microcephaly is a disease that causes
small brain sizes). Pituitary or microcephalic dwarfs have small bodies
and small brain sizes as well. However, very few of them actually reach
adulthood and they have a range of distinctive features, throughout the
cranial vault and rest of the skeleton, none of which are found in Liang Bua.
LB1 has a collection of clearly archaic traits seen in a variety of early
hominids and these traits have never been found in any abnormal humans.
H. floresiensis was about the height of a three-year old child. Extremely
small variants are not unusual in the small populations on islands, as they
are adaptations for a lack of food and predators in warm, moist conditions
(they make less heat, cool more quickly and need less food). And, in fact,
remains of the now extinct pygmy elephants (Stegadon) were found in the
same deposits as LB1.
Indonesia's most prominent paleoanthropologist, Teuku Jacob, has claimed that LB1 was not a member
of a new species, but a member of the "Australomelanesid race" of modern humans, and only 1,300 to
1,800 years old. Remember Indonesia is an Islamic state and some Muslims, like some Christians,
believe in a creation 4,000 years ago and with a six-day schedule. That the remains are reported to be
18,000 years old seriously challenges these creationist beliefs.
How does this finding impact the multiregional vs Out-of-Africa debate? Out-of-Africa proponents
believe that we all evolved from a H. erectus population originating from Africa. Multiregional proponents
say that H. sapiens evolved in various areas of the world from local H. erectus populations. This requires
large populations existing for long periods with little isolation. Already largely discredited, H. floresiensis
puts yet another nail in the multiregional coffin. [Teuku Jacob is a multiregioalist too.]
The discovery of H. floresiensis does not change the broad picture of human evolution, including our
lineage - it was certainly not ancestral to us. But since it is the most extreme example of human
adaptation ever found, it suggests that humans are more subject to evolutionary forces than we tend to
think. Perhaps tales like that of the yeti are based in truth. And the fact that H. floresiensis lived so
recently and yet has been unknown until now suggests that there could be other surprises waiting in the
human family tree.
Fig. 6 Evolutionary relationships in Homo genus a. Descent of Homo species by area b. Descent of Homo species in detail
1 = ergaster (African erectus), 2 = georgicus, 3 = Javanese & Chinese erectus, 4 = antecessor, 5 = cepranensis, 6 = heidelbergensis,
7 = helmei, 8 = neanderthalensis, 9 = sapiens, 10 = floresiensis. ---- = probable evolutionary relationship - - - - = possible alternatives
This find is the most significant in anthropology for 150 years and provides a wealth of
information for us. It is highly likely to be examined this year so make sure you give this work
the time and energy it deserves.

Questions
1. The last time Indonesia hit the anthropological news headlines was when Eugene Dubois
found the skull of a species he called Java Man in the Solo river area of Sumatra.
A. What name do we give to Java Man these days?
B. In what ways is it like H. floresiensis?
C. When did it live (approximately)?
D. What is its probable evolutionary relationship to H. floresiensis?

2. A. Describe the key features of the skull of H. floresiensis seen in the photo.
B. Which hominin is it most like?

3. A. What is mtDNA?
B. Explain why these remains may have useful mtDNA.
C. Explain why these remains may not have useful mtDNA.

4. A. Explain why the find has been referred to as remains rather than fossils throughout this
article.
B. Why were the remains named LB1 and LB2?
C. What does “38 - 18 kybp” mean?
D. With dates of 38 - 18 ky what methods could have been used to date the remains?

5. A. Discuss the significance of small brain size in such a recent species.

B. What evidence suggests the small brain was not due to microencephaly?
C. Describe the stone tools of H. erectus.
D. Describe the stone tools of H. floresiensis.
E. Name the species of Homo which has traditionally been the first one to use watercraft.

6. A. Describe allopatric speciation.

B. Explain how a normal sized H. erectus may have evolved into a tiny H. floresiensis.
[Remember to use the correct biological terms.]
C. Explain why smaller bodies cool more quickly.

7. A. Give 2 reasons why Teuku Jacob may be opposing the current theories on H. floresiensis.
B. Explain why “H. floresiensis puts yet another nail in the multiregional coffin”.

8. Discuss the significance of this find.