termite

He says that as well as an unfavourable climate, the local soil is not ideal for apple trees and the trees get attacked by termites.

Rivas explained that over time the wood weathered from brown to gray and was termite resistant.

In his work Invisible Cities, he was inspired by termite mounds to reimagine what architecture might look like in the future.

"As an example of such a toolset, chimpanzees in the Congo region first use a strong stick to dig a deep tunnel through hard soil to reach an underground termite nest," explains Gunasekaram.

She tells me about a “wonderful moment” with a chimpanzee she named David Greybeard, the male chimp who she first witnessed making and using tools to catch termites.