Next time you go to put a handful of fresh, fluffy, white snow into your mouth, think bacteria. A recent report in Science Magazine found that bacteria often function as nuclei in forming snowflakes, a surprisingly common side job for them. Snowflake formation requires the presence of some particulate matter in order to condense around. Atmospheric dust would be the obvious contender. Snow samples were taken from widely dispersed areas including Antarctica, France, Montana and the Yukon, although most bacteria were found in French snow (for whatever that tidbit is worth). In some samples, bacteria comprised up to 85% of snowflake nuclei.

Since cloud seeding is an important way for humans to influence precipitation, this research begs the question of how we can put this knowledge to use to increase snow fall in otherwise lacking areas (ski resorts and drought areas, for instance). Blowing bacteria into the sky may not be the best solution, but by studying what makes bacteria one of nature’s first choices for snow formation, we might be able to come up with something that is both eco-friendly and equally as efficient.