Photo: Polynesians Descended From Taiwanese, Other East Asians

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The Lau girl seen here is from Malaita, the largest of the Solomon Islands. A new genetic study has found that Melanesians such as the Solomon Islanders are remarkably diverse because of thousands of years of relative isolation.

The study also found that the ancestors of modern-day Polynesians and Micronesians were most likely East Asians who island-hopped quickly through Melanesia.

Photo courtesy Jonathan Friedlaender

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