Primate brains, the 'island rule' and the evolution of Homo floresiensis.

Abstract in brief

• The debate over Homo floresiensis often focuses on whether its small brain size is due to pathology or natural evolution, with some arguing the brain is too small for its body based on standard mammalian scaling rules.
• Analyzing brain and body size in living primates on islands shows that while these primates tend to have smaller bodies, their brain sizes don't necessarily shrink proportionally, challenging earlier assumptions about brain reduction in island animals.
• The study suggests that previous methods used to estimate H. floresiensis's body mass might have underestimated it, and when considering various evolutionary scenarios, its brain and body size evolution fits patterns seen in other primates that live on islands.]