Jared Diamond

Resting more than two thousand miles away from the nearest population center in a seldom—traveled area of the Pacific Ocean, Easter Island is one of the most remote places on Earth. The island is decorated by giant stone face carvings, called moai, that were presumably carved and then moved into place by the island's ancient inhabitants. Yet on this island, there is no sign of ropes or timber-essential tools for any workers attempting to move stone objects the size of moai. According to Jared Diamond, professor of physiology at the UCLA Medical School and author of eight books on a wide range of topics, archaeologists have found a disturbing answer to this riddle: The island's residents did possess ropes and timber at the time the...