Pacific islanders likely found Antarctica first: study

Re:Pacific islanders likely found Antarctica first: study by jcranmer on Wednesday June 16, 2021 @12:37AM (#27524966)

This theory is substantially less likely for a few reasons:

* The predominant oceanic currents in the South Pacific around Rapa Nui come from Polynesia, not South America. So you're not likely to be drifting towards Rapa Nui. Indeed, traveling from Polynesia to South America via Rapa Nui isn't a particularly far-fetched idea.

* Polynesia, and earlier Austronesian antecedents, had a much stronger tradition of long transoceanic voyages. (Austronesians crossed the Indian Ocean and settled Madagascar before Africans set sail from their own coast to reach it).

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Re:Pacific islanders likely found Antarctica first: study by jacksonkmarley on Wednesday June 16, 2021 @03:57AM (#27526030)

I think I read somewhere that the DNA studies showed genetic transfer in one direction only, S. America to Polynesia, and not the other way, which seems like a bit of a counter argument.

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Re:Pacific islanders likely found Antarctica first: study by jeltz on Wednesday June 16, 2021 @07:33AM (#27527304)

There are studies which has shown that some Amazonian natives had partial Melanesian ancestry which supports the argument.

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Re:Pacific islanders likely found Antarctica first: study by jacksonkmarley on Wednesday June 16, 2021 @11:22AM (#27529546)

If you mean these [0], I think they are talking specifically about a migration route through the Aleutians?

[0] https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/07/mysterious-link-emer...

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