3D-comparative analysis from skull surfaces has provided compelling evidence that confirms status of Homo floresiensis as fossil human species, researchers say.
Ever since the discovery of the remains in 2003, scientists have been debating whether Homo floresiensis represents a distinct Homo species, possibly originating from a dwarfed island Homo erectus population, or a pathological modern human. The small size of its brain has been argued to result from a number of diseases, most importantly from the condition known as microcephaly.
Based on the analysis of 3-D landmark data from skull surfaces, scientists from Stony Brook University NY, the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Eberhard-Karls Universitat Tubingen, and the University of Minnesota provide compelling support for the hypothesis.