Resilience, not collapse: What the Easter Island myth gets wrong

New research from Binghamton University, State University of New York suggests that the demographic collapse at the core of the Easter Island myth didn't really happen.
Illustration of the moai statuary on Easter Island (Rapa Nui) [Credit: Pixabay]
You probably know this story, or a version of it: On Easter Island, the people cut down every tree, perhaps to make fields for agriculture or to erect giant statues to honor their clans. This foolish decision led to a catastrophic collapse, with only