A Uniformitarian Solution to the Appearance of Small-Bodied Hominins, Dwarfs, Pathologies, and Self-Domestication: Theories of New Discoveries

A variety of new finds has produced a new set of species classified to the _Homo_ clade. Some of these appear to represent very small hominins with a variety of traits that are often seen in pathologies. The group of traits, however, do not associate with any known suite or any single condition, either genetic or induced by chemicals, radiation or other means. The first find of a hominin, the Neandertal, was considered a pathological modern human at first. Some claimed hominin finds were fakes that displayed so unusual traits, but whose status was supported by prominent scientists, that only a few questioned their authenticity. The lack of fit into the evolutionary sequence known at a given time has not been considered a single factor in rejecting a find, as the consideration of the Taung fossil eventually proved. Nevertheless, repeated finds of the same kind of fossil in different parts of the world, in different contexts by the same investigator does seem remarkable. Placing these finds in a phylogenetic setting is in order, but the distance and time frames are as challenging as is the problem of coincidence. Reference to pathological conditions producing several types of dwarfism are discussed in the context of these small-bodied finds. This paper proposes a hypothesis that a unique infection in several _Homo erectus _populations could offer a potential explanation for the developmental anomalies seen in small-bodied hominins.