Archaeologica.org

Indeed! HE was the original intrepid global explorer! And deserves the credit. HSS was 'merely' a follower, 700,000 years later...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 101034.htm

ScienceDaily (Nov. 19, 2009) — Researchers from Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York have confirmed that Homo floresiensis is a genuine ancient human species and not a descendant of healthy humans dwarfed by disease. Using statistical analysis on skeletal remains of a well-preserved female specimen, researchers determined the "hobbit" to be a distinct species and not a genetically flawed version of modern humans.

A new species it is!

Evolution ≠ disease.

More Hobbit stuff.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=10126530

Ancestors of a hobbit-like species of humans may have colonized the Indonesian island of Flores as far back as a million years ago, much earlier than thought, according to a new study published Thursday.

These early ancestors, or hominins, were previously thought to have arrived on the island about 800,000 years ago but artifacts found in a new archaeological site suggest they might have been around even earlier.

"Flores man" is thought to be a descendant of homo erectus, who had a large brain, was full-sized and spread out from Africa to Asia about two million years ago.

Which would suggest that Erectus would have had little difficulty in evolving into the Asiatics as the Chinese maintain.

Roy.

Yeah - the OoA Club will be circling the wagons.

Again.

Digit wrote:

"Flores man" is thought to be a descendant of homo erectus, who had a large brain, was full-sized and spread out from Africa to Asia about two million years ago.

Which would suggest that Erectus would have had little difficulty in evolving into the Asiatics as the Chinese maintain.

Sure, but after dozens of hybridizations back and forth with other hominids like HS, Homo Antecessor, Homo Heidelbergensis, and a few others we haven't even found yet.
The Asian race(s) is/are so much hybridized that it will be quite some time before that puzzle has been unraveled.
I suggest the Abos' evolution will be easier to analyse.

HF seems to have been very much like the Hottentots: a (sub)species, in HF's case largely evolved through island dwarfism, that went extinct. So what else is new? HF was a sideshow in human evolution. And as far as we know sofar totally inconsequential to it.