Study traces ancient Taiwanese sailorsTAIWAN TO RYUKYU: Paleolithic seafarers might have deliberately set sail, as drifting in the ocean would not have led them to Japan’s Ryukyu Islands, a new study found About 30,000 years ago, ancient inhabitants of Taiwan might have intentionally crossed the Kuroshio, one of the world’s strongest currents, researchers found. They might have searched for a new habitat and reached the Ryukyu Islands in Japan, said a study, titled “Palaeolithic voyage for invisible islands beyond the horizon,” which was published in the journal Scientific Reports on Thursday. The study, led by anthropologist Yousuke Kaifu, a ancient history researcher at the University of Tokyo, is part of a project on maritime migration of Paleolithic people 35,000 to 30,000 years ago. While some of them are believed to have migrated from TaiwanBy Lin Chia-nan

Source: Taipei Times December 07, 2020 15:56 UTC