Evolution’s Mystery Woman
Disagreements rage about tiny ancient islanders
By Bruce Bower
All hail Flo, the diminutive belle of the evolutionary ball. She made a flashy entrance in 2004 using the species name Homo floresiensis, given to her by her discoverers. Flashbulbs popped when the scientists announced the results of their analysis of Flo’s partial skeleton and the assorted bones of other individuals uncovered on the Indonesian island of Flores.
The shape and size of the fossils showed that they came from little cousins of humankind, the team concluded. The island individuals, who lived between 100,000 and 12,000 years ago, stood about 3 feet, 3 inches tall and possessed chimpanzee-size brains.