09.07.2026

New publication: Likely no hunters of Elephants nor masters of fire - new paper on taphonomic analysis challenges former assumptions on Homo florensis

Open Access publication by our Independent Junior Research Group Lead E. Grace Veatch in Science Communications

Homo florensis, nicknamed “Hobbits”, were likely not hunting large Elefants, but might have benefitted from hunts of Komodo Dragons, a paper published on July 9th at Science Advanced by E. Grace Veatch and team reports.

The team also challenges the former assumption of fire usage.

Grace Veatch, Independent Junior Research Group Lead at HUMAN ORIGINS Cluster of Excellence, and her colleagues of an international team of researchers from Indonesia, Kanada, USA and Australia were using taphonomic methods to challenge claims by earlier studies on Homo florensis. Published in 2004 and 2005, these assumptions on the ability of the small sized human relative to hunt extincted relatives of today´s elephants and use fire were proofen unlikely by the new study.