[blam]

GGG Ping.

[Publius6961]

NUMB3RS

[FreePaul]

I wonder if they will figure out how the people got there in the first place.

[somemoreequalthanothers]

Not sure what light has been shed here.

[RightWhale]

Population scientists use differential equation models

Indeed they do. Wolves and rabbits is one example, but in a closed system such as Easter Island or Greenland a few more variables would complicate the equation enough that a numerical solution might be the only feasible way.

[Bird Jenkins]

“The reasons behind the Easter Island population crash are complex but do stem from the fact that the inhabitants eventually ran out of finite resources, including food and building materials, causing a massive famine and the collapse of their society,” Basener says.

How do you run out of food when your primary source is fish from the ocean? Is it possible a population this small could "over-fish" the area and deplete their resources?

[the_Watchman]

It will also eventually help scientists and governments develop better population management skills

These are certainly "skills" I don't want MY governemnt to have!

[truth_seeker]

"Basener will next use his formula to analyze the collapse of the Mayan and Viking populations."

I can't address Mayans, but I would hardly say the Vikings "collapsed."

Vikings named "Russia"; conquered France, Italy, and England.

In north America, they retreated rather than engage in battle when outnumbered (by Skraelings).

They now have some of the highest measured "standards of living."

[timestax]

ping

[not-alone]

I love so many of your post thanks

[Rudder]

...inhabitants used large boats for fishing... the inhabitants eventually ran out of finite resources, including food...

Too bad the Pacific Ocean ran out of fish.

[Travis McGee]

Easter Island went straight to hell after they found out how to open the hatch leading straight down into the Lost Well of Doom.

[Sam Cree]

Interesting. Does this explain where the tiki bar came from, I wonder.

[TonyInOhio]

with almost all elements of the previous society completely wiped out

[A CA Guy]

Sounds like the 2000 had no clue about planting new trees, farming or fishing. The 20% of their 10,000 were not the doers, but the welfare types of their culture I guess.

[Lazamataz]

Basener will next use his formula to analyze the collapse of the Mayan and Viking populations. He also hopes to modify his work to predict population changes in modern day societies.

Harri Seldon has been born.

[quietolong]

What’s so hard to figure it out. It’s simple. The Liberals took over. This has been shown time & time again.

[Verginius Rufus]

The "Little Ice Age" came to an end. The Easter Islanders were victims of Global Warming.

[woofie]

Healthcare?

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Blam, although I regard this study as just another Malthusian wet-dream. Heyerdahl took an anthropological approach and followed that with an archaeological one. Of course, all of that is pooh-poohed by the most recent excavator. Heyerdahl's "Aku-Aku" tells the story as it was known in the 1950s.

One of the frustrations is, a Spanish expedition set out to find Easter Island based on information gathered from mainlanders (and that should make one wonder, how did they know if there was no going to and fro?) but the titular head of the expedition couldn't get the captain of the vessel to follow the directions given, as the captain believed they would sail off into nowhere and die horribly. Had they not diverged, odds are they would have arrived on Easter Island while the statues were still being built.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.

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