Debate on Little Human Fossil Enters Major Scientific Forum

Not all scientists agree that the 18,000-year-old "little people" fossils found on the Indonesian island of Flores should be designated an extinct human-related species. Some expressed their opposition in news interviews and informal symposiums, but papers arguing their case were rejected by major journals.

Now the critics are getting their day in the court of scientific discourse.

In today's issue of the journal Science, researchers led by Robert D. Martin of the Field Museum in Chicago present evidence they say supports their main argument, that the skull in question is not that of a newfound extinct species, but of a modern Homo sapiens afflicted with microcephaly, a genetic disorder characterized by a smaller than normal brain and head size.

The researchers said the evidence used in previous studies to rule out microcephaly was flawed. They noted that the analysis was primarily based on comparisons with a brain cast made from a poorly preserved skull of a 10-year-old who was microcephalic, not one from an adult.