DNA research reported in the respected science journal Nature shows early contact and interbreeding between Polynesians and South American Indians. Somewhere the ghost of Thor Heyerdahl snarls "I told you so" even if he did get the directionality exactly backwards.
One thing that confirms the idea is the widespread cultivation of the sweet potato in Polynesia since pre-Columbian times, although it originated in Central and South America. The researchers believe that contact was made by Polynesians sailing east, as they were serious open ocean navigators with their twin hulled canoes.
I think of Polynesians as the astronauts of their era. Or maybe earlier versions of Kirk and Spock, quite literally “boldly going where no men had gone before.” Hat tip to the New York Post for the link.
