Abstract
Human remains, some as recent as 15 thousand years, from Liang Bua (LB) on the Indonesian island of Flores have been attributed to a new species, Homo floresiensis. The definition includes a mosaic of features, some like modern humans (hence derived: genus Homo), some like modern apes and australopithecines (hence primitive: not species sapiens), and some unique (hence new species: floresiensis). Conversely, because only modern humans (H. sapiens) are known in this region in the last 40 thousand years, these individuals have also been suggested to be genetic human dwarfs. Such dwarfs resemble small humans and do not show the mosaic combination of the most complete individuals, LB1 and LB6, so this idea has been largely dismissed. We have previously shown that some features of the cranium of hypothyroid cretins are like those of LB1. Here we examine cretin postcrania to see if they show anatomical mosaics like H. floresiensis. We find that hypothyroid cretins share at least 10 postcranial features with Homo floresiensis and unaffected humans not found in apes (or australopithecines when materials permit). They share with H. floresiensis, modern apes and australopithecines at least 11 postcranial features not found in unaffected humans. They share with H. floresiensis, at least 8 features not found in apes, australopithecines or unaffected humans. Sixteen features can be rendered metrically and multivariate analyses demonstrate that H. floresiensis co-locates with cretins, both being markedly separate from humans and chimpanzees (P<0.001: from analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) over all variables, ANOSIM, global R>0.999). We therefore conclude that LB1 and LB6, at least, are, most likely, endemic cretins from a population of unaffected Homo sapiens. This is consistent with recent hypothyroid endemic cretinism throughout Indonesia, including the nearby island of Bali.
Highlights
Earlier studies of the bones from Liang Bua (LB) on the Indonesian island of Flores suggested that they could be: Homo but separate from modern humans, possibly showing island dwarfing, and possibly derived from H. erectus
Our earlier studies of the crania of hypothyroid endemic cretins, including morphometric analyses of quantitative data [7] suggested that they showed many features similar to those reported in the original diagnosis of the LB1 skull
We use the terms ‘cretinism’ and ‘cretin’ for individuals born with congenital hypothyroidism and in whom the consequences of hypothyroidism are manifest in subsequent development
Summary
Earlier studies of the bones from Liang Bua (LB) on the Indonesian island of Flores suggested that they could be: Homo but separate from modern humans, possibly showing island dwarfing, and possibly derived from H. erectus ( the new species H. floresiensis [1,2] ). New and more extensive studies of the upper and lower limbs [8,9,10] together with new studies of the cranium [6,11] show that the Liang Bua remains display a curious mosaic of (a) derived characters as in modern humans, (b) primitive characters as in apes and australopithecines, and (c) unique characters. The derived features would suggest that these remains are of the genus Homo, the many primitive and unique features indicate that it is not H. sapiens, H. floresiensis. In museum collections some individual skeletons of less reduced stature are labeled as cretins, and may indicate individuals of low intelligence who may have suffered hypothyroidism pre-natally but not through post-natal development, and do not show characteristic features of hypothyroid cretinism
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