David Sands on bacteria"s role in rainfall
David Sands, professor at the Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, usa, hypothesized that there is a link between rainfall and bacteria in 1982. He didn't find many takers then. He has recently proved that bio precipitation does actually happen. He talks to Kirtiman Awasthi about the experiment and its implications
Findings
We have found that airborne bacteria may play a big role in the precipitation cycle. The bacteria act as nuclei around which ice forms. These biological nuclei can cause freezing at warmer temperatures.
Bacteria
There are three to four species of bacteria that are capable of ice nucleation. One of them, Pseudomonas syringae, is abundant in cool and wet season.The bacterium does not survive in hot (over 30