New research from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory offers strong proof that a long-lasting megadrought changed life on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) beginning around 1550. To track 800 years of rainfall, scientists studied the wax from plant leaves found in mud samples taken from the island's freshwater sites. Their findings show that yearly rainfall fell sharply in the mid-16th century and stayed low for more than 100 years. This suggests that Rapanui communities adapted and held on through the climate stress, which challenges the simpler "ecocide" story of a total social collapse. The research team is now looking at older sediment records to better understand how the climate shifted in the remote southeast Pacific in the past.