Early Easter Island settlers had contact with South Americans, new plant study finds

A new study finds evidence that the earliest settlers of Easter Island had contact with people from South America as early as 1,000 years ago. Starch grains on obsidian blades at the archaeological site of Anakena suggest a fusion cuisine of Polynesian and South American plants. This sheds light on the early interactions and connections between the indigenous people of Rapa Nui and South Americans.