Open research questions in Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies

What the literature leaves open

• Short-duration surveys may not capture the full range of seabird species and breeding activity. The study relies on historical data for comparison, which may not be comprehensive. The lack of freshwater on Oeno Atoll may limit the presence of certain species.

  Birds of Oeno Atoll, Pitcairn Islands, in September 2025 · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of factual establishment of the commemorative role of phoenix palms has led to their removal from war memorial sites. The forgetting of the commemorative role of phoenix palms has occurred remarkably quickly.

  Beside the cenotaph: The phoenix palm as a New Zealand war memorial tree · 2026 · DOI

• There is a lack of scholarship on the role of phoenix palms in New Zealand war memorials. The small amount of scholarship on New Zealand war memorial trees does not mention phoenix palms.

  Beside the cenotaph: The phoenix palm as a New Zealand war memorial tree · 2026 · DOI

• The stratigraphy and age of the Plio–Pleistocene Osaka Group around the Seidan Mountains in southwestern Awajishima Island are unclear. There is a need for a comprehensive tephrostratigraphic framework for the region.

  Tephrostratigraphy of the Osaka Group in southwestern Awajishima Island · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of palaeoenvironmental studies in the Tropical West Pacific. The limited transferrability of palaeoenvironmental proxies established from studies outside of this region.

  Intertropical convergence zone and El Niño Southern oscillation controls on late Holocene rainfall variability in Palau · 2026 · DOI

• Further study of squamous epithelium microfossils is needed to fully understand their significance. Ancient DNA analysis can be carried out to potentially provide high resolution taxonomic resolution.

  A new sedimentary microfossil type: Squamous epithelium, discovered at the archaeological sites of Pangpang, on Efate Island in Vanuatu, and Carpenters gap 3, in the Kimberley, Western Australia · 2026 · DOI

• There is a need for new lines of evidence for determining former animal and human presence. Squamous epithelium microfossils can provide a new line of evidence.

  A new sedimentary microfossil type: Squamous epithelium, discovered at the archaeological sites of Pangpang, on Efate Island in Vanuatu, and Carpenters gap 3, in the Kimberley, Western Australia · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of chronometric determinations in colonial settings, relying on documentary evidence or artefact typologies. The need for a method to directly date colonial-era coral building materials.

  Direct dating of colonial-era coral building materials using the U-Th method in the Mangareva Islands, French Polynesia · 2026 · DOI

• The need for a better understanding of human maritime adaptation in Southeast Asia. The lack of accurate marine reservoir correction (ΔR) values for the study area. The challenge of calibrating radiocarbon dates from coastal human skeletal remains due to the marine reservoir effect.

  Human maritime adaptation on Haitan Island, China, c . 7500 cal BP: new isotopic and dating evidence · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of documentation of the Air Matoa language's phonological system. The absence of language inheritance between older and younger generations, leading to language extinction.

  Phonological Reconstruction of the Air Matoa Language: A Contribution to the Documentation and Preservation of a Dormant Papuan Language · 2026 · DOI

• The need to preserve interpretive nuance while making configurational meaning queryable. The challenge of integrating cultural heritage information from heterogeneous sources. The difficulty of operationalising a relational view of cultural significance.

  A CIDOC CRM-aligned Motif Configuration Application Profile for configurational meaning in Peranakan Nyonya ceramic heritage · 2026 · DOI

• Our findings demonstrate that evolutionary diversity in Myanmar is governed by the interaction of climate, environmental heterogeneity, and historical stability, and establish a critical evolutionary baseline for conservation planning in one of the world's most underexplored floristic hotspot regions.

  Spatial patterns of phylogenetic diversity and endemism enhance biodiversity conservation in Myanmar · 2026 · DOI

• The mechanisms and limits of coral acclimatization to climate change are not well understood. The effects of daily temperature range and thermal priming on acquired thermal resistance in Porites species are not well studied. The study aims to address this gap by investigating the response of Porites to high temperature and varying temperature regimes.

  Effects of daily temperature range (DTR) and thermal priming on acquired thermal resistance in Porites species in Moorea, French Polynesia · 2026 · DOI

• The study had to address the lack of ecological and environmental data on Rapa Nui corals. The study had to deal with the complexity of analyzing nonlinear relationships and relevant variables using BRT models.

  Growth rate of Porites lobata on Rapa Nui: perspectives on the sustainability of corals in southeastern Polynesia · 2026 · DOI

• The study had a limited number of samples. The dataset was evaluated for normality and homogeneity of variances, but 'assumptions were not met'. The lack of in situ long-term monitoring of sea-surface temperature required the use of external data sources.

  Growth rate of Porites lobata on Rapa Nui: perspectives on the sustainability of corals in southeastern Polynesia · 2026 · DOI

• The paper identifies challenges in understanding the life history and reproductive ecology of Siganus spinus, including the need for more data on the species' biology. It also highlights the challenge of balancing the needs of fisheries management with the cultural importance of the species.

  Reproductive ecology and life history of Siganus spinus support long-term indigenous harvest in the Mariana Islands · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of significant differences in some taro resources. The limited availability of taro resources in the resource garden.

  Construction of SNP-PARMS Fingerprints and Analysis of Genetic Diversity in Taro (Colocasia esculenta) · 2025 · DOI

• Few species have been documented in this region. The paper aims to address this gap by documenting the diversity of cephalochordates in the tropical Eastern Pacific.

  Lots of Lancelets or Not? Diversity of Cephalochordates in the Tropical Eastern Pacific · 2025 · DOI

• The study faced the challenge of limited knowledge on the genetic diversity and cultivar identification of breadfruit. The research had to overcome the complexity of analyzing microsatellite sequence polymorphisms. The study encountered the challenge of comparing the genetic diversity of existing and newly introduced breadfruit accessions.

  Microsatellite Sequence Polymorphisms Reveals Substantial Diversity in Caribbean Breadfruit [Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg] Germplasm · 2024 · DOI

• The 'great replacement' theory is a conspiracy theory that has been promoted by anti-immigrant groups and white supremacists. The theory has been used to justify violence and discrimination against non-white immigrants.

  Tables turning: on the specters of Anthropology, extinction and white futurity · 2026 · DOI

• Investigate the long-term impact of changes in school systems on educational outcomes. Study the effectiveness of night schools for communities with daily occupations.

  Cochin Education Code-Prefixing and Suffixing the Advancement of a Native State · 2026 · DOI

• Repeated and seasonally explicit surveys of seabird populations on Oeno Atoll and other islands. Studies on the impact of invasive species on seabird populations and breeding phenology. Research on the conservation and management of seabird habitats.

  Birds of Oeno Atoll, Pitcairn Islands, in September 2025 · 2026 · DOI

• Further research is needed to understand the impacts of climate change on freshwater security and urban infrastructure on West Pacific Islands - Studies should investigate the effects of ENSO phases on rainfall patterns and drought conditions in the region - Research should focus on developing more accurate and reliable proxy records for the Tropical West Pacific…

  Intertropical convergence zone and El Niño Southern oscillation controls on late Holocene rainfall variability in Palau · 2026 · DOI

• Further testing of MCAP with larger and more diverse datasets, - Exploration of MCAP's applicability to other cultural heritage…

  A CIDOC CRM-aligned Motif Configuration Application Profile for configurational meaning in Peranakan Nyonya ceramic heritage · 2026 · DOI

• Application of molecular taxonomy to neotropical amphioxus - Further study of the phylogenetic relationships among cephalochordate taxa - Determination of the dates of divergence…

  Lots of Lancelets or Not? Diversity of Cephalochordates in the Tropical Eastern Pacific · 2025 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies

• Poor Man, Rich Man, Big-man, Chief: Political Types in Melanesia and Polynesia · Comparative Studies in Society and History · 1963 · 653 citations
• Hunting and Gathering in Tropical Rain Forest: Is It Possible? · American Anthropologist · 1989 · 272 citations
• The chronology of colonization in New Zealand · Antiquity · 1991 · 233 citations
• inalienable wealth · American Ethnologist · 1985 · 226 citations
• the inversion of tradition · American Ethnologist · 1992 · 183 citations
• Late colonization of East Polynesia · Antiquity · 1993 · 181 citations
• A Contextual Approach to the Emergence of Agriculture in Southwest Asia · Current Anthropology · 2013 · 180 citations
• Across the Indian Ocean: the prehistoric movement of plants and animals · Antiquity · 2011 · 161 citations
• The dating of the Island Southeast Asian Neolithic: an attempt at chronometric hygiene and linguistic correlation · Antiquity · 1989 · 160 citations
• New evidence for the origins of sedentism and rice domestication in the Lower Yangzi River, China · Antiquity · 2006 · 149 citations

Most recent work

• Recent strengthening of eastern Pacific ENSO in the last millennium paleorecord · Science · 2026
• The “regime shift extinctions” hypothesis and mass extinction of waterbirds in Hawaiʻi · Ecosphere · 2026
• Papuan admixture predated the settlement of Palau · Cell · 2026
• The death jar: a new mortuary tradition at the Plain of Jars, Lao PDR · Antiquity · 2026
• The Otter Lovers: History and ritual in Southwestern Amazonia · History and Anthropology · 2026
• Direct dating of colonial-era coral building materials using the U-Th method in the Mangareva Islands, French Polynesia · Antiquity · 2026
• Human maritime adaptation on Haitan Island, China, c . 7500 cal BP: new isotopic and dating evidence · Antiquity · 2026
• Miseria futuri: Agricultural exploitation, damaged futures, and the limits of migrant integration · International Journal of Intercultural Relations · 2026
• Patterns in fruit development and fruit abscission for the emerging forest food tree Canarium indicum · Agroforestry Systems · 2026
• Assessing neglected and underutilised taro crop water status using physiological indicators and UAV multi-modal thermal-multispectral data · Precision Agriculture · 2026

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