Figure 1 | Rapa Nui genetic ancestry and population dynamics. a , Moreno-Mayar et al . 1 examined the genomes of 15 ancient individuals from Rapa Nui, a remote island in the Pacific Ocean.

Instead, Rapa Nui must have once had a larger population that had been depleted, by about 10,000 people, due to economic collapse. Now, a novel study used satellite data to debunk this myth, ...

The collapse of the Rapa Nui society on Easter Island in the South Pacific Ocean may have been triggered by changes in the Earth's climate 500 years ago.

While Europeans eventually discovered the impressive moai statues for which the Rapa Nui are best known, they also stumbled upon a yet-undeciphered script known as Rongorongo—a three-dimensional ...

The ancient inhabitants of Rapa Nui — also called Easter Island — seem to have improved their nutrient-poor land with careful stewardship. Recent archaeological evidence has challenged the ...

How Rapa Nui Lost a Tree, Only to Have It Sprout Up Elsewhere. Before the toromiro disappeared from the island, at least two men grabbed seeds from the last remaining plant and brought them home.

According to this theory, a population of over 15,000 Rapa Nui individuals triggered widespread changes across the island, including deforestation to build the statues, ultimately leading to ...

Rapa Nui’s famous stone statues watched over a population that grew sweet potatoes on a modest scale and reached a peak of only around 3,900 individuals, too few to have triggered a previously ...

T he storied island of Rapa Nui finally reopens to tourists after more than two years on Aug. 1. Famous for the iconic massive and mysterious Moai sculptures crafted by its first inhabitants, Rapa ...