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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 1: New Type of Human Discovered

Scientists recently uncovered the skeleton of a human dwarf species on a small island in Indonesia.

The skeleton was an adult female, measuring 3-feet-tall. Scientists are describing her as the most “extreme” skeletal figure that they can include in the human family.

Found on the island of Flores, the skeleton is believed to be from about 18,000 years ago. This “lost world,” as scientists said, would have had such species as giant lizards and miniature elephants. Scientists named the human after the island: Homo floresiensis, or Flores Man.

"So the 18,000-year-old skeleton cannot be some kind of 'freak' that we just happened to stumble across," said Richard Roberts, one of the discoverers. Based on geological information about the area, this type of human was believed to become extinct after a massive volcanic eruption occurred on the island. "It is arguably the most significant discovery concerning our own genus in my lifetime," said Bernard Wood, an anthropologist at George Washington University.

The skeleton of the dwarf was found in a limestone cave. The cave has been researched by scientists from Australia and Indonesia since 1964. Scientists found other items near the skeleton as well, including stone tools and animal remains such as the teeth from a young prehistoric dwarf elephant. Researchers will continue to explore the island by traveling on bamboo rafts.

--Written by Katie Denbo

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