The growth and decline in Rapa Nui's population is a lesson for our future
The population on Rapa Nui didn't crash because the Europeans came. Nor did they live in idyllic equilibrium with nature for centuries.
The population on Rapa Nui didn't crash because the Europeans came. Nor did they live in idyllic equilibrium with nature for centuries.
Archaeology
Sep 3, 2020
4
547
Rapa Nui (or Easter Island, as it is commonly known) is home to the enigmatic Moai, stone monoliths that have stood watch over the island landscape for hundreds of years. Their existence is a marvel of human ingenuity—and ...
Archaeology
Dec 13, 2019
0
291
The ancient people of Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile) built their famous ahu monuments near coastal freshwater sources, according to a team of researchers including faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New ...
Archaeology
Jan 10, 2019
1
274
You probably know Easter Island as "the place with the giant stone heads." This remote island 2,300 miles off the coast of Chile has long been seen as mysterious—a place where Polynesian seafarers set up camp, built giant ...
Archaeology
Aug 13, 2018
5
1014
What happens when you X-ray a chocolate rabbit? How complex is the wafer and chocolate composite of a Kit Kat? And why does the inside of a Ferrero Rocher resemble moon rock?
General Physics
Mar 29, 2018
2
86
Easter Island is a place of mystery that has captured the public imagination. Famous for ancient carved statues and a location so remote it boggles the mind, the island presents a captivating puzzle for researchers eager ...
Archaeology
Oct 12, 2017
1
421
Easter Island, known as Rapa Nui by its inhabitants, has been surrounded in mystery ever since the Europeans first landed in 1722. Early visitors estimated a population of just 1,500-3,000, which seemed at odds with the nearly ...
Social Sciences
Sep 20, 2017
12
463
Island nations could be forgiven for feeling slighted. They already face the brunt of the effects of climate change: Rising sea levels, dwindling resources, threats to infrastructure and economic foundations. But to add insult ...
Environment
Apr 11, 2016
32
282
Hundreds of iconic moai statues stand testament to the vibrant civilization that once inhabited Easter Island, but there are far fewer clues about why this civilization mysteriously vanished. Did they shortsightedly exhaust ...
Archaeology
Apr 8, 2016
5
514
(Phys.org)—A team of researchers with members from the U.S., Chile and New Zealand has uncovered evidence that contradicts the conventional view of the demographic collapse of the Rapa Nui people living on Easter Island, ...