This Hacker News thread discusses a *New York Times* article about scientists recreating a 30,000-year-old sea voyage in a hollowed-out log. The discussion covers several angles. One user questions the certainty of interpreting ancient motivations without sociological context, suggesting past beliefs could have influenced behavior in ways we can't fully understand. Another branch of the conversation dives into the role of women in such voyages, arguing that women's lower center of gravity and mental fortitude make them valuable paddlers. Some cited examples of female success in endurance canoe races. A counterpoint emphasizes that the experimental voyage aimed to simulate ancient migration, not speed, and that female ultra-athletes may seem to have better average stats due to the field being less saturated with amateur participants. Someone also challenged the assumption that global exploratory voyages were accomplished first by men.