Her scientific name is Homo floresiensis, her nickname is "the hobbit," and the hunt is on to prove that she and the dozen other hobbits since discovered are not a quirk of nature but members of a distinct hominid species.
The discovery of Homo floresiensis shocked and divided scientists. Here apparently was a band of distant relatives that exhibited features not seen for millions of years but were living at the same time as much more modern humans. Almost overnight, the find threatened to change our understanding of human evolution.
It would mean contemplating the possibility that not all the answers to human evolution lie in Africa, and that our development was more complex than previously thought.
Down a short gravel track in a largely nondescript corner of Louisiana sits a gas processing...
Netia McCray recalls how excited she was to join the federal advisory committee on long COVID...
A 10,000 year-old tooth in remarkable condition from an ancient Pacific mastodon, a large mammal that...
The universe is a strange place — filled with exploding stars, ancient galaxies, and unseen worlds....
