Small skulls indicate a human migration route in Australia

Human remains found on the island of Alor in Indonesia offer a new insight into human migration across Southeast Asia thousands of years ago, said researchers from the Australian National University (ANU).

The principal investigator, Dr. Sofía Samper Carro, says that the two skulls, dating back 12,000 to 17,000 years, are the oldest human remains ever found at Wallacea – the islands between Java, Papua New Guinea and Australia.

"Although we know that modern humans were in Timor and Sulawesi more than 40,000 years ago, these remains are the first fossil evidence of modern human presence in Wallacea," said Dr. Samper Carro.

"The area around Alor may have been a kind of" road ", with people crossing these islands to finally get to Australia."

This was not the only exciting discovery.

"What's really interesting is the small size of their head," said Dr. Samper Carro.

"The size seems to be similar to that of other remains found later in this region, dating back to 7,000 to 10,000 years ago.This is probably the result of a downsizing after the early modern humans got their bearings. are settled in these islands.

"This differs from what is found in Australia and in other parts of mainland Southeast Asia during the same period, where, in general, humans have skulls bigger."

Dr. Samper Carro explained that one of the possible explanations for this phenomenon is the so-called "island effect": the idea that when humans and other large mammals go to an island where the resources food and predators are insufficient, they tend to decrease. small mammals will grow.

"It has been suggested that this is what may have happened to Homo floresiensis (hobbit) and, potentially, this could also have affected the recently discovered Homo luzonensis," said Dr. Samper Carro.

A very large number of fish bones have also been found at the Tron Bon Lei site in Alor, which could provide important clues.

"The question is, was it enough food for them?" Dr. Samper Carro said.

"The archaeological site shows shortcomings that may indicate that, at some point, humans have left the island, or that they were not using that particular site and that they went to elsewhere.

"This could be due to environmental changes or lack of food to survive, and more digs and research at Alor will help us test these theories."

Mr Samper Carro said these conclusions could build on longstanding ideas on human migration.

"It's a very exciting time. Studies on the evolution of mankind have long been focusing on Africa and Europe, but increasingly, we seem to be receiving new discoveries from Asia that challenge our earlier conceptions.

"It has been proven that Homo sapiens was present in North Africa and the Mediterranean earlier than we thought, coinciding with the presence of different hominins in other parts of the world. human evolution is becoming more and more exciting and complex. "

One of the skulls found on Alor was found with hooks and ornaments. Dr. Samper Carro said burial traditions are also a good example of the mobility of humans and ideas.

"New people come with new traditions, as we see now," she said.

"If you move somewhere, you bring your culture and your traditions, and the next generation will continue some of these traditions, and we can see the reflection in the way these people buried their loved ones."

The research was published in the Journal of Human Evolution.