Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Sweet potatoes are native to South America, yet Polynesians were growing them in the middle of the Pacific centuries before they were thought to have first encountered South Americans?
For decades researchers debated why. Then DNA gave a clue: ancestry from present day Colombia showing up across eastern Polynesia, with the earliest signal tracing back to around the year 1150.
Watch to see how scientists are unraveling one of history's most surprising meetings.
We recently added 47 New Genetic Groups Across Oceania. Read more on our blog: 23andme.org/blog/articles/new-genetic-groups-across-oceania
#23andMe #Shorts #AncestryDNA #Polynesia
Sweet potatoes are native to South America, yet Polynesians were growing them in the middle of the Pacific centuries before they were thought to have first encountered South Americans?
For decades researchers debated why. Then DNA gave a clue: ancestry from present day Colombia showing up across eastern Polynesia, with the earliest signal tracing back to around the year 1150.
Watch to see how scientists are unraveling one of history's most surprising meetings.
We recently added 47 New Genetic Groups Across Oceania. Read more on our blog: 23andme.org/blog/articles/new-genetic-groups-across-oceania
#23andMe #Shorts #AncestryDNA #Polynesia
