In a great disappointment to all Tolkien fans, it turns out that the hobbit-ish skeletons found a few years back may have been severely malnourished regular humans. It turns out that an iodine deficiency in pregnancy may have been the cause. Where is the romance, people?

Update: It may not be romance, but irony (of an Alanis Morissette type); a rare gene mutation that increases longevity while causing short statue has been discovered.