Genome Reveals Ancient People from Easter Island Sailed Nearly 2500 Miles to the Americas

First Posted: Oct 27, 2014 06:30 AM EDT
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Scientists have taken a closer look at the people of Easter Island and have found that they may have made their way from their home to the Americas long before the Dutch commander Jakob Roggeveen arrived with his ships in 1722. The findings reveal a bit more about the past history of these ancient peoples.

In this case, the scientists turned to genomic data. They conducted a genome-wide analysis of 27 native Rapanui, the people that inhabited the Easter Island. In the end, the researchers found that there was significant contact between these island people and Native Americans approximately around 1300 and 1500, which is about 19 to 23 generations ago.

In fact, the new findings reveal that the Rapanui population began mixing with Europeans only much later, in about 1850. The ancestry of the Rapanui today is 76 percent Polynesian, 8 percent Native American and 16 percent European.

So what does this mean for the past history of the location? It suggests one of two scenarios. Either Native Americans sailed to Rapa Nui, or Polynesians sailed to the Americas and back. The second scenario, however, is more likely; simulations presented in previous studies revealed that all sailing voyages heading intentional east from Rapa Nui would always reached the Americas, and the trip itself would last from two weeks to two months. In contrast, sailing from the Americas to Rapa Nui would be more challenging, and it's possible that sailors could miss the island completely. From the Americas, Rapa Nui is a small target, which may also explain why it took Europeans so long to find it.

The findings show that even early human populations extensively explored the planet. Not only that, but it shows how these early populations managed to mingle across vast distances-in this case, nearly 2,500 miles-even with limited technology.

The findings are published in the journal Current Biology.

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