Photo: "Hobbit" Humans Were Diseased, Not New Species, Study Says

Email to a Friend << Back to Full Story


The skull cast (left) and cast of the endocranial cavity of a modern adult human who suffered from the genetic disease microcephaly.

In a new analysis, a team of researchers says that the "hobbits" found on an Indonesian island are not a new species but a microcephalic group of modern humans.

Photograph by John Weinstein, courtesy of the Field Museum/Science

MOST VIEWED NEWS

PICTURES: 2012 Doomsday Myths Debunked

2012: Six End-of-the-World Myths Debunked

APOCALYPSE PICTURES: 10 Failed Doomsday Prophecies
NEWS FEEDS    After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed. After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed.

Get our news delivered directly to your desktop—free.
How to Use XML or RSS

ADVERTISEMENT

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's National Geographic Photo of the Day

• Today's Photo

• Download as Wallpaper

50 Drives of a Lifetime

National Geographic Traveler has scoured the globe for the world's most beautiful, interesting, and off-beat road trips. Dive in to get drive directions, quizzes, photos, and more.