'Hobbit' vanished far earlier than researchers previously believed

The extinct human species dubbed the "Hobbit" vanished from its home on the Indonesian island of Flores far earlier than previously thought, according to scientists who suspect our species may have had a hand in these diminutive people's demise.

Researchers said on Wednesday they recalculated the age of bones of the species, named Homo floresiensis, found inside a Flores cave, and determined it disappeared about 50,000 years ago rather than 12,000 years ago as previously estimated.

The Hobbit's discovery in 2003 created a scientific sensation. Homo floresiensis stood 106 cm tall, possessed a small, chimpanzee-sized brain, used stone tools and may have hunted pygmy elephants.