Canute, king of England during the 11th century, achieved legendary status by ordering his servants to carry his throne to the shore, whereupon he ordered the tide to stop rising. When the ocean did not comply, he proclaimed it as proof that even kings have limits to their powers. Some historians interpret this as an act of piety; only God can rule the sea. But the tale is also sometimes misread as an example of human folly.Today, there are good reasons to wish the sea to yield. Sea levels are rising worldwide, with low-lying Pacific islands and cities including Bangkok, Amsterdam, Shanghai and Miami increasingly at risk of inundation. The vast glaciers at the North and South poles are among the biggest threats. In the last few years, scientists have become so worried about the catastrophe that melting ice could cause that they are urging humankind to seriously consider tackling what would be the biggest engineering projects ever, including building underwater curtains to hold back warm seawater and prevent glacial melting.It sounds like a folly only a megalomaniac would put forth. But freelance journalist and frequent Science News contributor Douglas Fox explains why this and other audacious ideas are getting serious consideration. Fox is well equipped for the assignment, having previously traveled to Antarctica to report on the continents massive glaciers.This month we also debut math puzzles. The logic, reasoning and problem-solving used in mathematics are fertile ground for puzzles and games. When we decided to include puzzles in the magazines redesign, we knew math puzzles had to be in the mix. Im delighted that Ben Orlin, author of multiple books including Math for English Majors, has created our first math puzzle. Going forward, well alternate science-themed crosswords and math puzzles in the magazine, and we welcome your feedback.In addition, Science News is launching its first podcast. The Deep End is based on our award-winning multimedia project Electricity Saved My Brain, which chronicled the experiences of people with severe depression who received experimental brain implants. Science News neuroscience senior writer Laura Sanders hosts. The show debuts February 10 and is made possible thanks to our partnership with public media organization PRX. Listen at bit.ly/SN_TheDeepEnd. I hope youll find it as fascinating and deeply moving as I did.