• About
    • About the FIA
    • Priorities
    • Our Team
    • Brainstorming Board
    • Partners and Affiliates
    • Contact Us
  • News + Events
    • News
    • Events
    • Videos
    • Newsletters
    • @FIAumd
    • In the Media
  • Spark Grants
    • Spark Grants Overview
    • Spark Grants FAQ
    • 2012-2015 Seed Grants
    • 2012-2015 Seed Grant Winners
  • Special Topics
    • SearchReSearch
    • Curated Topics
FIA

SearchReSearch

SearchResearch Challenge (7/7/2019): A couple of questions about Polynesia! (Why so long? What are those clear patches?)

Dan Russell • July 11, 2019
 SearchReSearch
Republished with permission from SearchReSearch
SearchResearch Challenge (7/7/2019): A couple of questions about Polynesia! (Why so long? What are those clear patches?) Dan Russell

I managed to find wifi!

As I mentioned last week, I'm touring through French Polynesia for the next two weeks. It's kind of a long way to go, but it's completely worth it. Lots of long stretches as we sail from one island to the next. Many of these are coral atolls, and look a bit like this as we sail by. They're all low-slung, just barely out of the water. You wonder how they survive when a big storm comes through.

Rangiroa seen from the sea.


Or like this, from a satellite image:


As I've said before, traveling is an endless source of SRS questions. Here, in this place, there are SO many things I've had to look up--my SRS skills are getting a great workout! What kind of tree is that? Does the nut from that tree really have fish-stupefying properties? Really?

Many of the things I've been seeing need a bit of research to help me understand what I'm seeing.

This week I've got two Challenges, but on the next cycle, I'll add two more. But for today, let's start with one slightly difficult Challenge, and a simpler one.

1. In researching the dates of initial colonization of Polynesian islands, I noticed a VERY strange incongruity. Look at the map below. The blue pins are all island nations that were first colonized around 1000AD. The red pins (to the left of the long green line) were all colonized around 1000BCE or before. What happened here between 1000BCE and 1000AD? Why are the all of the blue pins MUCH later than the red pinned locations? It's not that far from Samoa to Niue, why didn't anyone colonize that island until 900AD or so? Generally--why didn't the Polynesians go beyond the green line for a very long time?



2. As we're sailing from place to place, it's not uncommon to see large patches of water without any ripples on the surface. It's something you see nearly everywhere--it's a common effect on lakes, ponds, and oceans. But what causes these ripple-free regions on the water? (See below for an image that has a large Y-shaped blank area in the middle. What causes this?)



As always, be sure to tell us not JUST the answer, but how you figured it out! What searches worked for you, and if you spend a lot of time on a rathole that doesn't work out, be sure to leave us a comment to that effect. We can learn a lot from strategies that don't work out.

Search on!

Share

Comments

This post was republished. Comments can be viewed and shared via the original site.
16 comments

About the Author

Dan RussellDan Russell

I study the way people search and research. I guess that makes me an anthropologist of search. While I work at Google, my blog and G+ posts reflects my own thoughts and not those of my employer. I am FIA's Future-ist in Residence. More »

Recent News

  • Deepfakes and the Future of Facts
    Deepfakes and the Future of FactsSeptember 27, 2019
  • Book cover for Joy of Search by Daniel M. Russell
    The Joy of Search: A Google Insider’s Guide to Going Beyond the BasicsSeptember 26, 2019
  • The Future of Facts in a ‘Post-Truth’ World
    The Future of Facts in a ‘Post-Truth’ WorldMay 15, 2018
  • The Future of Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive Storytelling
    The Future of Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive StorytellingJune 6, 2017

More »

Upcoming Events

There are no upcoming events scheduled. Please check back later.
Event Archive »
Video Archive »

Join Email List

SearchReSearch

  • Answer: What do these everyday symbols mean?
    Answer: What do these everyday symbols mean?March 15, 2023
  • SearchResearch Challenge (3/8/23): What do these everyday symbols mean?
    SearchResearch Challenge (3/8/23): What do these everyday symbols mean?March 8, 2023
  • PSA:  Read Clive Thompson’s article about how he does research
    PSA: Read Clive Thompson’s article about how he does researchMarch 3, 2023
  • Answer: World’s largest waterfall?
    Answer: World’s largest waterfall?March 2, 2023

More »

University of Maryland logo
Robert W. Deutsch Foundation logo
Google logo
Barrie School
Library of Congress logo
State of Maryland logo
National Archives logo
National Geographic Society logo
National Park Service logo
Newseum logo
Sesame Workshop logo
Smithsonian logo
WAMU
© 2023 The Future of Information Alliance, University of Maryland | Privacy Policy | Web Accessibility