Earth’s spin is not as steady as it looks. As ice melts and groundwater is pumped from deep aquifers to the surface, the planet’s mass is shifting, and with it the position of the rotational axis that ...

Earth’s spin is not as steady as it looks from the ground. As ice sheets melt and aquifers are drained, scientists now say the planet’s axis has shifted by more than 30 inches, a subtle but measurable ...

Glacial melting due to global warming is likely the cause of a shift in the movement of the poles that occurred in the 1990s. The locations of the North and South poles aren’t static, unchanging spots ...

A typical desk globe is designed to be a geometric sphere and to rotate smoothly when you spin it. Our actual planet is far less perfect — in both shape and in rotation. Earth is not a perfect sphere.

Editor’s Note: Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Humans’ unquenchable thirst for ...