Drought on Flores Island Likely Ended the Real-Life Hobbits’ Refuge
Researchers reconstructed ancient rainfall on Flores Island using a stalagmite from Liang Luar cave, revealing three climate phases and a final prolonged dry spell around 61,000–47,000 years ago that coincides with the disappearance of Homo floresiensis and their pygmy-elephant prey Stegodon florensis insularis, suggesting dwindling resources forced the hobbits to abandon Liang Bua and potentially encounter modern humans who arrived on the island later.
