The Latest Breaking News from Rapa Nui

4,000-year-old rock painting in Indonesia offers clues to one of humanity’s greatest migrations

Some 4,200 years ago, people started to leave what is now Taiwan to migrate to the thousands of islands to the south, spanning as far west as Madagascar in the western Indian Ocean and as far east as Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

The Conversation · Aug 17

Drones, physics and rats: Studies show how the people of Rapa Nui made and moved the giant statues – and what caused the island’s deforestation

Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is often portrayed in popular culture as an enigma. The rationale is clear: The tiny, remote island in the Pacific features nearly 1,000 enormous statues – the moai. The magnitude and number of these monuments defy easy explanation.

The Conversation · Nov 26, 2025

‘The last plant left’: can Rapa Nui’s extinct tree be resurrected?

Seeds from the last toromiro, unique to remote Easter Island, were taken away in the 1960s. Now, after a crucial discovery gave hope for its survival, it is making a return

The Guardian - UK · Feb 19, 2025

What it was like to experience the 'ring of fire' solar eclipse on Easter Island

A few hundred eclipse chasers flocked to Chile's Rapa Nui to see annularity from the home of the mysterious moai.

Space · Oct 6, 2024

'Ring of fire' solar eclipse blazes over Easter Island in incredible new image

On Oct. 2, a partial "ring of fire" solar eclipse was visible from the remote island of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, where around 1,000 stone moai statues stand. You can see the whole celestial event play out in this incredible composite image.

LiveScience · Oct 3, 2024

In photos: Annular solar eclipse 2024 delights with stunning 'ring of fire' display

On Oct. 2, an annular solar eclipse turned the sun into an impressive "ring of fire." Here are some of the best photos of the dramatic display.

Space · Oct 3, 2024

Watch live: A 'ring of fire' solar eclipse has begun over Easter Island

The Oct. 2 partial solar eclipse, known as an annular or "ring of fire" eclipse, is about to begin over Easter Island and South America. Watch it for free right here.

LiveScience · Oct 2, 2024

Easter Island's population never collapsed, but it did have contact with Native Americans, DNA study suggests

A DNA analysis of 15 Rapa Nui individuals revealed that there was never a population collapse on Easter Island and that the inhabitants commingled with Native Americans.

LiveScience · Sep 11, 2024

Easter Island (Rapa Nui) and its famous Moai statues

The island of Rapa Nui, the most isolated inhabited landmass on Earth, is known for its massive Moai statues.

LiveScience · Jun 21, 2024

Rocks on Rapa Nui tell the story of a small, resilient population − countering the notion of a doomed overpopulated island

Conventional wisdom holds that the island of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, once had a large population that crashed after living beyond its means and stripping the island of resources. A new research study my colleagues and I conducted has struck another blow to this notion by using…

The Conversation · Jun 21, 2024