'Hobbits' went extinct due to severe drought, says new study
Scientists say the tiny ancient humans known as "hobbits" disappeared from Indonesia's Flores Island about 50,000 years ago, with new evidence suggesting that a long, harsh drought may have contributed to their extinction, along with other factors.
Rainfall at their home in Liang Bua cave dropped sharply, leading to water shortages that started around 61,000 years ago.
Volcanoes and tough competition sealed their fate
A volcanic eruption made things even worse for the hobbits by damaging their habitat further.
The animals they hunted—pygmy elephants called Stegodon—were already struggling and eventually vanished too.
As the hobbits followed these animals closer to the coast, they may have encountered modern humans moving into the area.
This new competition for resources may have contributed to their extinction.
Why does this matter?
The study shows how climate change and rivalry with other species helped shape our human story.
Learning what happened to the hobbits gives us fresh clues about how ancient humans survived—or didn't—when faced with big environmental changes.