Ok so who really discovered America ?

[Phidippides]

B.Sykes is the Geneticist you refer to Phillipedes, I believe.

There's a picture of Sykes here and he's not the one who I saw in the program.  I did a search and can't seem to find out the name of the correct person, but I did find that multiple people seem to specialize in the history of the human race at the level of DNA.

[cadremum]

I have no idea how those Polynesians supposedly sailed across open ocean to South America.  If they could do it, you'd think they also would have built structures in Chile that we could find remnants of today.  According to that article Polynesians were in Chile in the Middle Ages....recent enough that you'd think we could find traces of their settlements there, if they had any.

Start  with Heyerdahl and his voyage on the Kon Tiki, to prove that P. came from South Am. He made the trip but sadly turns out he was wrong.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_Heyerdahl

From "Daughters of Eve" ch.7 pg.103-104
"The first Europeans to reach Ploynesia saw canoes over 30 meters long, and smaller version still used today. The double hull prevents capsizing in the same way as an outrigger on a catamaran. The vessels had a prow at each end, and so it could be tacked across the wind and then reversed without turning round. These were the vessels that carried the Polynesians into the Pacific......complimentary and equally crucial navigational skills.....fairly straightforward to travel along a line of latitude by keeping an eye on rising and setting stars...."

I can elaborate if you have specific questions. So, there matching DNA markers found in Vanuatu and Chile but it is very rare, maybe Poly. only wanted to settle uninhabited lands. We know the sweet potato is native to the Andes.
Did early Poly.'s give women in exchange for s.potato?
Purely speculation on my part.

 

[Wally]

Sounds like a good deal to me. 

[cadremum]

http://news.gallaudet.edu/?id=11958

Now I'll try the correct thread, can I call you Phd?
Sometimes I just get brain freeze and cannot spell.
I think this is the guy, SCOUT! Sorry for the mix up pal.
Dr. Spencer Wells

[scout1067]

Good point Cadremum.  I had heard of this effort but was not very familiar with it.  Thanks for the link

However, isnt this all academic?  The "Discovery" that led to large scale colonization of the Americas was that of Columbus.  Everything else is academically interesting but in large part historicaly irrelevant from an effect point of view.

[Wally]

... Columbus.  Everything else is academically interesting but in large part historicaly irrelevant from an effect point of view.

That is about it in my book....

[DonaldBaker]

Maybe Joseph Smith was right all along and we need to give him an apology.

[Daniel]

Websters 1913 Dictionary definition of Discover includes:

1. To uncover.
2. To disclose; to lay open to view; to make visible; to
   reveal; to make known; to show (what has been secret,
   unseen, or unknown).

--------

What Columbus did was make the existence of the "New World" known to those in the "Old World."  And, of course, those in the "New World" learned of the "Old World."

Commerce and travel between the "worlds"  came into existence. In Latin American Columbus Day is called the Day of the Race as they consider the Mesitzo a new race through into existence by Columbus action. The results of his actions are truly extensive.  His "discovery" changed the history of the world in a way very few other events can match.

So I have no problem with crediting him with the discovery of America.  Although doing so is not politically correct.

[Wally]

....
 His "discovery" changed the history of the world in a way very few other events can match.

So I have no problem with crediting him with the discovery of America.  Although doing so is not politically correct.

Agreed; all counts.