Journal article
Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua in Indonesia
Nature (London), Vol.532, pp.366-369
21/04/2016
PMID: 27027286
Metrics
5 Record Views
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites
Abstract
Homo floresiensis, a primitive hominin species discovered in Late Pleistocene sediments at Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia)1,2,3, has generated wide interest and scientific debate. A major reason this taxon is controversial is because the H. floresiensis-bearing deposits, which include associated stone artefacts2,3,4 and remains of other extinct endemic fauna5,6, were dated to between about 95 and 12 thousand calendar years (kyr) ago2,3,7. These ages suggested that H. floresiensis survived until long after modern humans reached Australia by ~50 kyr ago8,9,10. Here we report new stratigraphic and chronological evidence from Liang Bua that does not support the ages inferred previously for the H. floresiensis holotype (LB1), ~18 thousand calibrated radiocarbon years before present (kyr cal. BP), or the time of last appearance of this species (about 17 or 13–11 kyr cal. BP)1,2,3,7,11. Instead, the skeletal remains of H. floresiensis and the deposits containing them are dated to between about 100 and 60 kyr ago, whereas stone artefacts attributable to this species range from about 190 to 50 kyr in age. Whether H. floresiensis survived after 50 kyr ago—potentially encountering modern humans on Flores or other hominins dispersing through southeast Asia, such as Denisovans12,13—is an open question.
Details
- Title
- Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua in Indonesia
- Creators
- Thomas Sutikna - University of WollongongMatthew W. Tocheri - Lakehead UniversityMichael J. Morwood - University of WollongongE. Wahyu Saptomo - University of WollongongJatmiko - University of WollongongRokus Due Awe - University of WollongongSri Wasisto - Pusat Penelitian Arkeologi NasionalKira E. Westaway - Macquarie UniversityMaxime Aubert - Griffith UniversityBo Li - University of WollongongJian-xin Zhao - University of QueenslandMichael Storey - Natural History Museum AarhusBrent V. Alloway - University of WollongongMike W. Morley - University of WollongongHanneke J. M. Meijer - University of BergenGerrit D. van den Bergh - University of WollongongRainer Gruen - Griffith UniversityAnthony Dosseto - University of WollongongAdam Brumm - Griffith UniversityWilliam L. Jungers - Stony Brook University HospitalRichard G. Roberts - University of Wollongong
- Publication Details
- Nature (London), Vol.532, pp.366-369
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Number of pages
- 18
- Grant note
- DP0770234 / Australian Research Council (ARC); Australian Research Council University of Wollongong (UOW) Canada Research Chair; Natural Resources Canada; Canadian Forest Service; Canada Research Chairs Villum Foundation; Villum Fonden DP1093049; DE140100254; DE130101560; FT14010038 / ARC; Australian Research Council 00007408 / Villum Fonden UOW postgraduate scholarship Smithsonian Scholarly Studies Program; Smithsonian Institution FL130100116 / ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship; Australian Research Council 201255 / Victoria University of Wellington Science Faculty Research Grant Smithsonian's Human Origins Program 2121-2 / Waitt Foundation/National Geographic Society Peter Buck Fund for Human Origins Research
- Identifiers
- 991013103889902368
- Copyright
- © 2016 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article