Homo Floresiensis Research Paper

Homo Floresiensis: A Creature of Controversy Since its discovery in 2004, Homo floresiensis has sparked tremendous controversy among archaeologists across the world (Aiello, 2010:169). Found on the island of Flores (hence the name), located in the midst of Indonesia, the fossil remains present a dilemma that is often compared to that surrounding the Neanderthals (Liberman, 2009:41). Simply put, the discovery of Homo floresiensis challenges the prevailing record of human history. Homo floresiensis contain characteristics from a multitude of species throughout the course of human history, including Homo sapiens. The problem currently plaguing archaeologists narrows down to the taxonomic status, as well as evolutionary position of Homo floresiensis,
The skeletons found were variously associated with stone tools and Stegadon, the Komodo dragon, giant rats, bats, and other animals characteristic of the time within Liang Bua cave, which is located in western Flores. Because the uppermost of the two layers containing Homo floresiensis are covered in deposit, archaeologists have speculated whether or not the extinction of H. floresiensis and Stegadon could have been due to a volcanic eruption around 17,000 years ago, or whether climate change and the arrival of modern humans are to blame (Aiello, 2010:169).
In total, Homo floresiensis’ characteristics of a small brain and cranium, short stature, length and robustness of limbs, and structure and length of feet are analogous to that of an australopthicine, however, the elongated, less prognathous facial structure, teeth, and shape of the brain are considered to be characteristics derived from a species of Homo (Meijer et al., 2010:1002). This discrepancy in analogous structures to any known ancient species fuels the controversy throughout the field of anthropology; who were the Homo floresiensis, and from whom were they
To explain the significant discrepancy in cranial and brain size, archaeologists suggested two main hypotheses: 1) the size of the entire skeleton was due to insular dwarfism, a phenomenon in which species living on islands are smaller than species living on large continents; 2) the size of the cranium and brain is due to a pathological disorder, such as microcephaly, a disorder stemming from incomplete brain development. The evidence surrounding the theory of insular dwarfism include a study of extinct Malagasy dwarf hippos, which proved that insular dwarfism can result in a brain size smaller than that projected by scaling models. Because of this, the decrease in brain size in H. floresiensis from that of its predecessors could be explained by an adaptation to the limited energy resources provided by the island, meaning that it would be more energy efficient to be small (Meijer et al., 2010). As of now, this is the best evidence presented in favor of the hypothesis of insular dwarfism (Aiello, 2010:172). Conversely, evidence supporting a pathological disorder includes cladistics analysis that upholds the theory. The first cladogram places H. floresiensis between Homo rudolfensis and the clade including H. habilis, while the second places it between H. habilis and the clade including H. georgicus. However, a pathological disorder does