Researchers from the University of Wollongong believe that an ancient species of human nicknamed the "hobbit" may have been isolated on an island long ago, and they are now piecing together the ancient clues to place them correctly in the evolutionary history of man, according to Fox News.
The homo floresiensis species of early human, characterized by its 3-foot stature and grapefruit sized brain, lived until just 18,000 years ago, and researchers now believe that the race of beings had a hold on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
Scientists previously found fossils on the Indonesian island of Flores. The latest research looks at the historical and evolutionary relevance of finding fossils on Sulawesi.
"There might have been a totally different human species living on Sulawesi before modern humans arrived with boats around 50,000 years ago," said Gerrit van den Bergh, lead author of the study. "Evolving under isolation on an island under hundreds of thousands of years in isolation, the outcome may have resulted in a distinct human species, different from Homo erectus or Homo floresiensis."
The research team is hopeful of finding evidence on surrounding islands as well, like Borneo and even the Philippines.
"Now, we can start trying to find fossil evidence of the makers of these ancient tools," van den Bergh added.
The study was published in the Jan. 14 issue of the journal Nature.
