Mexico City groundwater pumping land sinking

Groundwater pumping makes Mexico City sink

Nearly 50 Cm/Year

Mexico City was built on the drained bed of Lake Texcoco, where waterlogged clay compacts as groundwater is pumped out. In some areas, the ground sinks nearly 50 centimeters a year. The sinking worsens runoff, wastewater management, and flooding.

Rodents may have drawn wildcats to the first farming settlements

Cat domestication probably began when rodents gathered around early farms and attracted African wildcats. Farmers benefited because the cats killed pests, while the cats gained an easy source of food. Evidence of this relationship on Cyprus dates to about 7500–7200 BCE.

Brain size is a weak clue to IQ

Brain volume and IQ have only a weak link, with a correlation of roughly 0.3–0.4. Comparing brain size with body size does not establish intelligence either: among mammals, the treeshrew has the largest brain-to-body size ratio.

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Mexico City groundwater pumping land sinking

Groundwater pumping makes Mexico City sink

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