HOMO

HABILIS
DEFINITION:
 Homo habilis ("handy man") is an extinct species of archaic human
 from the Early Pleistocene of East and South Africa about 2.31 million
years ago to 1.65 million years ago (mya). Upon species description in
1964, H. habilis was highly contested, with many researchers
recommending it be synonymised with Australopithecus africanus, the
only other early hominin known at the time, but H. habilis received more
recognition as time went on and more relevant discoveries were made. By
the 1980s, H. habilis was proposed to have been a human ancestor,
directly evolving into Homo erectus which directly led to modern
humans. 

 This viewpoint is now debated. Several specimens with insecure species

identification were assigned to H. habilis, leading to arguments for
splitting, namely into "H. rudolfensis" and "H. gautengensis" of which
only the former has received wide support.
ORIGIN AND DISCOVERY:
 In 1986, OH 62, a fragmentary skeleton, was discovered by
American anthropologist Tim D. White in association
with H. habilis skull fragments, definitively establishing
aspects of H. habilis skeletal anatomy for the first time, and
revealing more Australopithecus-like than Homo-like
features.


Because of this, as well as similarities in dental adaptations,
Wood and biological anthropologist Mark Collard suggested
moving the species to Australopithecus in 1999. However,
reevaluation of OH 62 to a more humanlike physiology, if
correct, would cast doubt on this.
 HOMO
FLORENSIENSIS
DEFINITION:
 Homo floresiensis ("Flores Man"; nicknamed "Hobbit") is an extinct
species of small archaic human that inhabited the island of Flores,
Indonesia, until the arrival of modern humans about 50,000 years ago.

 The remains of an individual who would have stood about 1.1 m (3 ft
7 in) in height were discovered in 2003 at Liang Bua on the island of
Flores in Indonesia. Partial skeletons of at least nine individuals have
been recovered, including one complete skull, referred to as "LB1". These
remains have been the subject of intense research to determine whether
they were diseased modern humans or a separate species; a 2017 study
concludes by phylogenetic analysis that H. floresiensis is an early species
of Homo, a sister species of Homo habilis.
ORIGIN AND DISCOVERY:
 The first specimens were discovered on the
Indonesian island of Flores on 2 September 2003 by
a joint Australian-Indonesian team of archaeologists
 looking for evidence of the original 
human migration of modern humans from Asia to
Australia. They instead recovered a nearly complete,
small-statured skeleton, LB1, in the Liang Bua cave,
and subsequent excavations in 2003 and 2004
recovered seven additional skeletons, initially dated
from 38,000 to 13,000 years ago.