For more than a million years, a small ancient human relative survived quietly on the volcanic island of Flores in Indonesia. Then, around 50,000 years ago, this tiny hominin known as Homo floresiensis, nicknamed the hobbit because of its small stature, disappeared entirely, leaving behind one of the most puzzling mysteries in human evolution.

If Homo floresiensis wasn't a fire-using hunter, its origins could be different than we thought.

For more than a million years, a small ancient human relative survived quietly on the volcanic island of Flores in Indonesia. Then, around 50,000 years ago, this tiny hominin…