In 2003,fairly Complete Remains of What Was Claimed to Be

Essay

In 2003,fairly complete remains of what was claimed to be a new species of hominin were described from the Indonesian island of Flores.The species,Homo floresiensis,may have lived between 100,000 and perhaps as recently as 12,000 years ago; because of its small stature,about three feet (1 meter),it was perhaps unfortunately nicknamed "hobbit" (it didn't help that film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King came out the same year).If Homo floresiensis is a real species,it lived at the same time and general area as fully modern humans.However,some scientists are convinced that the bones belonged to a fully modern human who suffered from a growth disorder of some kind.Devise a detailed hypothesis for the origins and relationships of Homo floresiensis,and come up with the best test that you can,given that it has not yet been possible to extract DNA from the fossils.