Being human

Hobbit-Like Ancestor Had Sophisticated Brain (washingtonpost.com)

It is an increasingly convoluted question - when did we become human? The Ebu-Gogo of Flores seem to have been marching in the same direction as Homo Sapiens - increased intelligence and culture. And yet, they drifted off the family tree three quarters of a million years ago.

I've noted before that the islanders of Flores told tales of small people who chattered amongst themselves and ate everything in site. How fascinating it would be if we find these peoples' relatives somwhere in the Indonesian islands. Of course, perhaps it is better for them if we don't find them.