Re-dating the Liang Bua Homo floresiensis sequence

Record summary

A major reassessment of Liang Bua stratigraphy and dating placed Homo floresiensis remains and associated deposits earlier than some initial reports had indicated, while also refining the chronology of the cave’s archaeological sequence. This matters for comparing island isolation, extinction and possible interaction with Homo sapiens in Wallacea. The dates are method-dependent and do not by themselves establish whether modern humans directly caused the hominin’s disappearance. Questions remain about disturbance, sediment association and the relationship between the skeletal and cultural layers.