In hopes of slowing the rate at which ice is melting in the mountains of northern
Italy, officials have begun covering one their most threatened glaciers with insulating
fabric, creating what is essentially a giant security blanket to help keep the ice from
melting in the summer heat. It may sound a bit unusual, but tests have shown that the
thermal blanket may be just the thing to save the region's glaciers from disappearing
completely, for the time being, at least.