WITHOUT fossils, we would struggle to understand the ancient roots of humanity. Yet it is easy to overlook the circumstances surrounding their discovery, which may carry additional significance. The way fossils are found can tell its own story, one that can remain hidden from view or skewed in its reporting. But as we reveal in our feature “The untold story of the curiously controversial Homo floresiensis dig“, it is never too late to uncover the truth.
For instance, the 146,000-year-old Harbin skull, which hit the news two years ago, may overturn long-accepted ideas concerning the origin of our species. However, this skull was actually discovered 90 years ago by a construction worker in China. He kept it a secret, as Harbin was under the control of Japanese forces in 1933 and he didn’t want the fossil to fall into their hands. He told no one about his discovery until he was on his deathbed in 2018.
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No less astonishing is the story behind the discovery of Homo floresiensis – known informally as the hobbit – on the Indonesian island of Flores. Unearthed 20 years ago this month, H. floresiensis has shaken up the human family tree to an even greater extent than the Harbin skull. But it also led to arguments and outrage across Indonesia and beyond. Now, on the anniversary of its discovery, we explore what really happened when this extraordinary find was unearthed, revealing a different, and more nuanced, version of events.
The story of H. floresiensis reminds us that the motivations of scientists vary. We may assume, for instance, that all palaeoanthropologists are driven by the same desire to challenge scientific orthodoxy and emphasise the global significance of ancient remains. We would be wrong to do so.
Discoveries like H. floresiensis are the lifeblood of palaeoanthropology and the information they reveal about ancient human species is something to be celebrated. But we would do well to dig a little deeper into the story around these discoveries – the insight this can give us into modern lives is just as valuable.
