new evidence? did we have old evidence?

New evidence: Easter Island civilization was not destroyed by war https://t.co/NWls5tojSy pic.twitter.com/cf5mstctzL

— Anthropology (@Anthropology_RR) February 18, 2016

Easter Island is a great case of this kind of sociality in which populations seem to have mediated competition over limited resources through the community building of statues. What looks like strange behavior to us is likely central to their success. This is an area we are following up on in our ongoing research. I think we have a lot to learn from Easter Island as to what it takes to survive on an isolated and remote island with limited resources. But rather than being a "scary parable" about the effects of cultural hubris and ultimate collapse, we can learn valuable insights into strategies that lead to cooperation, resilience, and sustainability.
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