Homo floresiensis update: The Economist weighs in on the “borrowing” of the fossils. They mention that when the bones were removed, they were simply stuffed in a leather bag. This is not exactly the sort of procedure you see in protocols for avoiding contamination of ancient DNA. In the Australian, the discoverers of “Florence” vow to return to the fossil site, and this time they’ll put their discoveries in a really good safe. Wise move.
Originally published December 9, 2004. Copyright 2004 Carl Zimmer.