Hobbits on Flores, Indonesia

A tiny hominin found in 2003 on the island of Flores, Indonesia shook up the world of paleoanthropology because of its age and appearance. The tiny adult skeleton was just over three feet tall, so scientists nicknamed it "the hobbit." Because it was discovered in sediments 18,000 years old — relatively young in paleoanthropological terms — scientists wondered whether it represented a new species or a deformed modern human. Human Origins scientist Matt Tocheri explains how his research helped answer this question.

Video from Smithsonian's Human Origins Program.