Mystery behind Moana: Why Polynesians Suddenly Sailed East After 1,700 Years

Mystery behind Moana: After 1,700 years, why did Polynesians suddenly sail east?

After a 1,700-year pause, ancestral Polynesians suddenly launched a massive migration across the Pacific. By analyzing ancient mud samples, I found that a severe, centuries-long drought in Samoa and Tonga coincided with rising populations. This environmental stress, combined with better canoe technology, likely forced these resilient navigators to seek new lands, solving the mystery behind their great eastward expansion.

"Ultimately, island survival hinges on a single critical resource: rainfall."