We have some good news out of Antarctica today about Thwaites Glacier, and it’s a pretty big deal. It involves ice cliffs and the theory that Thwaites, dubbed the “Doomsday Glacier,” could begin collapsing like dominoes this century.

Mathieu Morlighem, a polar scientist who led the new study, describes the findings. He also explains why the results don’t mean Thwaites Glacier is stable, and he discusses other reasons why Antarctica’s riskiest glacier remains a serious threat to coastal regions worldwide.

Also in this week’s science news:

If there’s a subject you’d like our team of science editors to investigate, please reply to this email.

Stacy Morford

Environment + Climate Editor
The calving front of Thwaites’ ice shelf. The blue area is light reflecting off ice below the water. James Yungel/NASA Icebridge

Thwaites Glacier won’t collapse like dominoes as feared, study finds, but that doesn’t mean the ‘Doomsday Glacier’ is stable

Mathieu Morlighem, Dartmouth College

Antarctica’s riskiest glacier is a disaster in slow motion, a polar scientist writes. But in a rare bit of good news, the worst-case scenario may be off the table.
EMDR was developed in 1987. Laurence soulez/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Hard-to-treat traumas and painful memories may be treatable with EMDR – a trauma therapist explains why it is gaining popularity

Laurel Niep, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, or EMDR, can help patients process painful memories and reduce anxiety and depression stemming from those events.
Trees are one way to cool down a city. Architects in ancient Rome also designed buildings with porticos for shade and air flow. Laszlo Szirtesi/Getty Images

Ancient Rome had ways to counter the urban heat island effect – how history’s lessons apply to cities today

Brian Stone Jr., Georgia Institute of Technology

As summer temperatures rise, finding ways to build cities that don’t hold in the heat and can provide some cooling is increasingly important.

Editing fetal genomes is on the horizon − a medical anthropologist explains why ethical discussions with the target communities should happen sooner rather than later

Julia Brown, University of California, San Francisco

In the absence of clear-cut regulation, who should decide on where and how a technology that could change the course of human health should be applied?

Astronomers have warned against colonial practices in the space industry − a philosopher of science explains how the industry could explore other planets without exploiting them

Mary-Jane Rubenstein, Wesleyan University

Space may be considered the final frontier, but the US was once a frontier, too. How can space industry leaders avoid repeating practices that led to colonialism in the 18th century and beyond?

Real-time crime centers are transforming policing – a criminologist explains how these advanced surveillance systems work

Kimberly Przeszlowski, Quinnipiac University

As police departments across the US and the world adopt real-time crime centers, there’s a need for better public understanding of how these centers work.

Banana apocalypse, part 2 – a genomicist explains the tricky genetics of the fungus devastating bananas worldwide

Li-Jun Ma, UMass Amherst

Fusarium oxysporum can infect over 120 plant species. Whether it destroys Cavendish bananas as it did their predecessor depends on the agricultural industry and consumers.

Blood sugar fluctuations after eating play an important role in anxiety and depression

Mary Scourboutakos, Eastern Virginia Medical School

High-carb diets, especially of ultraprocessed foods, create blood sugar spikes, while diets high in leafy, green vegetables and whole grains are absorbed more slowly and produce smaller fluctuations.

West Nile virus season returns − a medical epidemiologist explains how it’s transmitted and how you can avoid it

Daniel Pastula, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Most people who get infected with West Nile virus have mild symptoms, but in certain cases the illness can become serious or even deadly.