A unique and extinct human species known as the "Hobbit" apparently disappeared without a trace from its habitat in the island of Flores in Indonesia, earlier than first thought. In this new study, scientists believe that modern humans may have been the cause of the extinction of these diminutive species.
Researchers have examined once more the age of the skeletal remains of the species which is also scientifically known as Homo floresiensis, that was found inside a Flores cave in Liang Bua. They have determined that they disappeared some 50,000 years ago as opposed to 12,000 years ago that is based on previous estimates.
The discovery of the Hobbit was first made in 2003 that was a huge finding in the scientific community. The Homo floresiensis measured 3 and a half feet in height and possesses a small brain the size of a chimpanzee's, and is known to use stone tools and hunted for pygmy elephants.
To date, researchers say that there is still no direct evidence of these Hobbit people running into Homo sapiens however, during that time, modern humans were already dwelling on the other islands in the region towards Australia some 50,000 years ago.
According to Bert Roberts from the University of Wollongong in Australia, it was also possible that Homo sapiens played a role in the extinction of these small people where more research is needed to gain more insight about their history. Roberts says that the Hobbits would have survived if humans never reached Flores which makes Homo sapiens an important factor in their demise but hard evidence is crucial to back up this valid theory.
Apart from the Hobbits disappearing on the island, many animals also became extinct during that time, according to Matt Tocheri from the Lakehead University, Canada and Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program. These animals include small elephants, vultures, giant storks and large Komodo dragon lizards.
Now, excavations opened the site again from 2007 to 2014 where scientists gathered new findings about the cave, as they carried out re-evaluations of the sediment that contained the remains of the Homo floresiensis along with their bones.
The skeleton remnants were dated back to 60,000 to 100,000 years back where their stone tools are about 50,000 to 190,000 years old, according to Thomas Sutikna from the University of Wollongong and Indonesia's National Research Centre for Archaeology.
This new study is published in the journal Nature.