Overview
- A peer-reviewed study published December 8 in Communications Earth & Environment links a multi‑millennial drying trend on Flores to a pronounced summer drought between about 61,000 and 55,000 years ago.
- Geochemical measurements from a Liang Luar stalagmite reconstruct declining rainfall, while matching oxygen‑isotope patterns in Stegodon tooth enamel anchor the fossil sequence to that climate record.
- About 90% of Stegodon remains date to 76,000–61,000 years ago, with a sharp drop near 61,000 years ago as surface water sources such as the Wae Racang river became seasonally dry.
- Homo floresiensis persists at Liang Bua until roughly 50,000 years ago, and the study argues that compounding loss of freshwater and prey likely drove a local abandonment of the cave.
- A volcanic ash layer at about 50,000 years ago and potential encounters with Homo sapiens are highlighted as possible contributors, and the authors call for searches at additional sites to test whether the species survived elsewhere.