Researchers Reenact Paleolithic Seafaring to Reach the Ryukyu Islands

Scientists have reconstructed a Stone Age-style voyage to explore how ancient humans might have navigated across powerful ocean currents. Using replicas of tools dating from the Upper Paleolithic period, researchers built a primitive dugout canoe and successfully crossed the 110 km stretch between Taiwan and Yonaguni Island, including the treacherous Kuroshio current, in approximately 45 hours.

This experiment sheds light on the seafaring skills of early humans and suggests that Paleolithic peoples could have used rudimentary boats and navigational techniques—such as star and sun positioning—to reach islands now thought to have been settled thousands of years ago.

The study highlights the ingenuity of early explorers and emphasizes that even primitive technology enabled impressive feats of navigation, challenging long-held assumptions about the capabilities of our ancient ancestors.