Just in time for our first snow in Minnesota when we eagerly bring out our cross-country skis and sleds—both self-propelled and motorized, comes this news of a melt-inducing microbe. I’ve seen and tasted the resulting “watermelon snow” up in the Rockies. It seemed harmless enough—a natural frozen novelty. But a simple comparative experiment by Alaskan researchers showed a 17% increase in melting where the snow became darkened by the algae stain. On the positive side it will be watermelon snow-cones all around.