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A comment on Pacific islanders likely found Antarctica first: study. Parent comment

Re:Pacific islanders likely found Antarctica first: study by eitland on Wednesday June 16, 2021 @12:41AM (#27524989)
That was Thor Heyerdahls theory and he proved it possible with his Kon Tiki expedition but I think more recently DNA testing has shown that islands (including Easter Island?) has been settled by people from Asia.

(Writing this I realize you might have meant that people from South America went to Easter Island and back, but as far as I know there hasn't been found traces of a strong culture for navigation in South America.)

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Re:Pacific islanders likely found Antarctica first: study by CameronNemo on Wednesday June 16, 2021 @12:54AM (#27525059)
>traces of a strong culture for navigation in South America

Further, the motives for diaspora were not there. Native south Americans had barely scratched the Amazon. There was so much left to explore and exploit on the continent. Going on a crazy at sea journey just was not necessary.

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Re:Pacific islanders likely found Antarctica first: study by jacobolus on Wednesday June 16, 2021 @01:29AM (#27525210)
> Native south Americans had barely scratched the Amazon

The Amazon basin had millions of inhabitants in the 15th century. Population declined precipitously after European diseases arrived, and did not recover to prior levels for 300+ years afterward.

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