Scientists have finally solved a great mystery behind Easter Island's iconic statues

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1. And the answer is - from the same story

The [island’s] porous volcanic soils quickly absorb rain, resulting in a lack of streams and rivers," Carl Lipo, an anthropologist at Binghamton University, explained in a statement.

"Fortunately, water beneath the ground flows downhill and ultimately exits the ground directly at the point at which the porous subterranean rock meets the ocean.

“When tides are low, this results in the flow of freshwater directly into the sea. Humans can thus take advantage of these sources of freshwater by capturing the water at these points."

By measuring the percentage of salt in the coastal waters, the scientists found a correlation between these freshwater supplies and the position of the statues.

“Now that we know more about the location of freshwater [...] the location of these monuments and other features makes tremendous sense,” Lipo said.