Possible New Human Species Discovered on Luzon Island in the Philippines

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SUMMARY

A new species of Homo, potentially a distinct human lineage, has been discovered on Luzon Island, Philippines, dating back to the Late Pleistocene. This finding is detailed in the study by Florent Détroit et al., published in Nature volume 568, pages 181–186 (2019). The discovery raises questions about the phenomenon of insular dwarfism, particularly given Luzon's size as the 15th largest island globally. The discussion highlights the possibility of small hominins, such as H. nedali, which stood approximately 5 feet tall, existing in this region.

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  • Understanding of Late Pleistocene hominin evolution
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  • Knowledge of paleoanthropological research methods
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This discussion is beneficial for paleoanthropologists, evolutionary biologists, and anyone interested in the study of human evolution and the ecological factors influencing it.

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Very interesting.

Luzon is the 15th largest island in the world.
To me, this seems kind of large for insular dwarfism to occur (a favored explanation), but who knows.
Perhaps there were small guys, partly habitating in trees, elsewhere before they got there.
H. nedali, for example, was only ~5 feet tall.