Earth, Humans pumping groundwater has shifted Earth’s axis James Dineen OVER about two decades, humans pumped enough water out ofthe ground that we shifted Earths poles by almost ametre. Thisis equivalent ‘tothe polar driftcaused by melting Greenlandic over the same period. (lark Wilson at the University of “Texas at Austin andhis colleagues have modelled how changes inthe distribution of water around the planet have affected the drifting of the poles. Someof that wandering is down tonatura causes. Because Earth isn’t apertect sphere, it ‘wobbles ikea top several metres each year. The poles also dit due ‘to.changes inthe distribution of, ‘mass around the planet, such as ‘the seasonal movement of water. “There area numberof things contributing to polar dit, and they all add up" says Wilson. ling reservoirs and pumping groundwater both play apart, as wall as climate change melting Slaciers and the resulting sea level rise, although it wasit clear how big the effect ofeach might be. ‘Wilson andbhis team modelled the drift using estimates ofthe amount cof groundwater pumped between, 11993 and 2010 (around 2100 sigatonnes) and the associated ise insea level, which they estimated at 0.3 milimetres per year. ‘The polar drift attributed to this amounted to about 80 centimetres (Geophysical Research Letters, doi.orglascstk). Wilson says this is especially due to large aquifers located at mid-attudes, which have ‘the greatest effect on polar dit. This {doesn’t have consequences in terms of thelength ofthe day orof the seasons, although knowing Earths precise axis is essential for GPS, technology to work, says Wilson. “The precise number doesnt matter really’ says Mancochehr Shirzaeiat Virginia Tech. "What matters is that the volume is so siganticthat it canimpact the polar drift of the Earth.” ‘Animal behaviour Chimpanzees can prepare for alternative futures Chenty WEAREnolongertheonly with chimpanzees now,and. animalknowntothinkahead —_I'veneverseenthemshow fandpreparefortwopossible _thisbehaviour’ futures~chimpscandoittoo. __Now,Engelmann and Hyouareunsurewhetherit _hiscolleagues have tried an willbesunny orraininglater, _altemative method relying youmight grabsunscreen and —_onbehaviourthat comes more anumbrellabeforeyouleave naturally totheanimals home.Thisability toconsider __ Workingat Ngamba sland differenteventualities,known Chimpanzee Sanctuary in asmodal reasoning, isessential Uganda, where the animals tohuman cognition canroam ings acres offorest, Iwas thought that other animals coulda'tmanagethe "The representation of feat including ourclosestliving alternative possibilities relativeschimpanzees.Thisis is fundamental to inpartbecausea 2017 study creativity and morality” found thatthe primates lack thecapacitytopreparefor _theresearchers put individual mutuallyexclusive outcomes. chimpsinfront oftwotilting Theresultsweren'taccepted _platforms.each witha piece of byall though, because thestudy food onit. The first version of expectedthe chimpanzees tothe experiment used an opaque usebehaviours thatdon’t cylindrical tubeaboveone of comenaturallytothem,says __theplatforms, through which JanEngelmannatthe University the team would dropa rock. ‘of California, Berkeley. Ifthe chimpanzee didn’t "Todemonstrate Intervene, the food would fall, competence,theyhadtocover _butifitstabilised the platform, bothexitsofaY-shapedtube _withits hands, twas given with the palms oftheirhands,” the food as reward. In this hesays.“T'veworked foriayears scenario, thes chimpanzees only stabilised the platform ‘Two chimpanzees that they knew the rock would hit showed their skills on Thesecond experimentused ‘Ngamballsland, Uganda an opaque inverted ¥shaped tubewith anexitabove each, platform. Not knowing which platform the rockwas going tohitmeant the chimpanzees behaved differently. Thirteen ‘ofthe 15 were more likely to ‘cover their bases and steady bothplatforms to protect both pieces of food (Biology Letters, DOk:10.1098/rsbl.2023.0179) Tomy knowledge, they're the first [non-human] animals ‘who demonstrate competence Ina taskmeasuringthe representation of alternative possibilities” says Engelmann. Some evidence suggests that children aged between 1and 2.yearscan consider mutually ‘exclusive outcomes, says team member Mariel Godduat Harvard University: But there are researchers whoargue that these abilities don’tdevelop until the age of, when children, areableto talkabout multiple possibilities. Taechimpanzee findings support theearlierage range, showing that thisability ‘may notbe dependent on language, she says. The representation of alternative possibilities fundamental tomany cognitive ‘capacities that humans are proud of like creativity and orality” says Engelmann, 'squite exeltingtothink that there might bean evolutionary history to this ability aswell Tam not a all surprised that chimpanzees arecapableof ‘modal reasoning, butitisgreat tosee confirmation ofthese abilities using non-invasive ‘cognitive experiments,’ says Ammie Kalan atthe University ‘Victoria in Canada, This study showshow takingthe time toappreciate chimpanzees’ natural behaviour can help us challenge results from studi Incaptiveanimals,shesays. 1 ‘agjune202s|NewScientit|st