This article might make you think twice the next time your kids stick out their tounges to catch snowflakes. According to a study released in the journal Science, the main thing that causes snow to stick together and be, like, snowy, is... bacteria.
One scientist says that sometimes over 85 percent of the "ice nuclei" in snow is bacteria, usually Pseudomonas syringae (say that ten times fast), which can "cause disease in several types of plants including tomatoes and beans."
It doesn't sound like there's any immediate danger. Mostly it's just kind of, you know, gross. But if you consider that most kids eat dirt, sand, and things from the floor that skirt the 5-second rule by several minutes, odds are they'll be fine. (In case you were wondering, this does not qualify as medical advice.) Still, I think I'm glad winter's almost over.
image: Snowman Clipart, and my very own kindergarten-level drawing skills
