As the 'roof of the world,' the Third Pole centered on the Tibetan Plateau can be easily considered a permanent presence. However, it is not. The place where Mount Everest stands today was once underwater. Exactly when the Third Pole grew to its current height has been a topic of debate for years. However, a recent study published in Science Advances proves, through fossil analysis, that much of the Third Pole only grew to its modern height over the past 10 million to 20 million years, rather than 40 million years ago (Ma) as previously inferred.