Scientists solve mystery of how giant Easter Island statues were moved

HANGA ROA, Easter Island – Scientists may have solved the mystery of how the giant statues of Easter Island moved to their present locations.

Located in the South Pacific, Easter Island is home to hundreds of its iconic stone statues, or "moai." How the gargantuan moai – with the largest still standing measuring over 35 feet tall, according to Encyclopedia Britannica – were moved from the quarries where they were carved had puzzled scientists for years.

Researchers Carl Lipo at Binghamton University and Terry Hunt at the University of Arizona recently published a study stating that the giant stone moai were likely moved by locals using rope to "walk" them from the quarry in a zig-zag fashion, officials said.

Building upon earlier evidence they found in which the moai were moved standing