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From which earlier hominin did Homo floresiensis descend?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by ·3 answers·0·0 following
Most likely: an early Asian Homo erectus population reached Flores and evolved small body and brain size by insular…Ahead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

Where it stands

Three answers have been proposed. An early Asian Homo erectus population reached Flores and evolved small body and brain size by insular… leads, with evidence 4 for, 1 against: partly supported by its tests. Two are still possible. Of the one narrower question under it, none is answered yet.

Why it matters

The answer decides whether small hominins left Africa before H. erectus, and whether a large-brained hominin can shrink to a 400 cc brain on an island⁠[1]⁠[2]. Both readings are published and alive; the 2024 Mata Menge fossils are the newest evidence⁠[3].

Answers 3

Evidence: 4 for, 1 against
Most likely
Evidence: 1 for, 2 against
Most likely
None of these.
Not tested enough to call either way
Evidence: none yet
Still possible

History

  1. Kubo et al.: lB1's endocranial volume (about 426 cc) can be reached from Javanese H. erectus under insular scaling.For: An early Asian Homo erectus population reached Flores and evolved small body and brain size by insular…
  2. Argue et al. puts forward: an early, small-bodied Homo lineage related to H. habilis left Africa before H. erectus, and H. floresiensis…
  3. Argue et al.: parsimony and Bayesian phylogenies place H. floresiensis outside a H. erectus ancestry.Against: An early Asian Homo erectus population reached Flores and evolved small body and brain size by insular…
  4. Diniz-Filho & Raia: quantitative-genetic island-rule models show fast brain-body reduction is plausible.For: An early Asian Homo erectus population reached Flores and evolved small body and brain size by insular…
  5. Argue et al.: cranial, dental and postcranial phylogenies support a sister relationship with H. habilis.For: An early, small-bodied Homo lineage related to H. habilis left Africa before H. erectus, and H. floresiensis…
  6. Kaifu et al. puts forward: an early Asian Homo erectus population reached Flores and evolved small body and brain size by insular…
  7. Kaifu et al.: a 700,000-year-old Mata Menge tooth resembles early Javanese H. erectus.For: An early Asian Homo erectus population reached Flores and evolved small body and brain size by insular…
  8. Kaifu et al.: no pre-erectus hominin is known outside Africa.Against: An early, small-bodied Homo lineage related to H. habilis left Africa before H. erectus, and H. floresiensis…
  9. Kaifu et al.: deformational plagiocephaly, a marker of helpless infancy, occurs in Indonesian H. erectus and H.…For: An early Asian Homo erectus population reached Flores and evolved small body and brain size by insular…
  10. Asked on this site
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