NEW ZEALAND: Radiocarbon dating of ancient kauri trees preserved in the wetlands of Ngawha helped pinpoint the date of the mysterious Laschamp excursion, when the earth’s magnetic north and south poles temporarily swapped position 42,000 years ago. Researchers propose that this phenomenon led to drastic changes in climate and an increase in solar and cosmic radiation. They theorize that this may have led people to create more rock art as they increasingly sought protection in caves.