…meet rainmaking bacteria:
Barbara Nozière of Stockholm University, Sweden, and colleagues suggest that surfactants secreted by many species of bacteria could also influence the weather. While these are normally used to transport nutrients through membranes, the team have shown that they also break down the surface tension of water better than any other substance in nature. This led them to suspect that if the detergent was found in clouds it would stimulate the formation of water droplets.
This is the kind of thing that makes me skeptical about bureaucratic solutions to planetary engineering, natural or otherwise.
Clicked the link and now my brain hurts from all the outlandish paradoxes.
Bacteria could affect rain without leaving the ground, and the proof comes from taking air samples of rain clouds (or snow in this case) to determine if the bacteria is present? Sounds like the bacteria left the ground, no?
If the detergent from bacteria was found in clouds, it would stimulate the formation of water drops
What? Huh? Perhaps the bacteria found in the clouds was the reason for water drops. Otherwise, I’m not sure what clouds are other than water drops, unless someone is literally smoking something. This sentence was even highlighted at the link. Sad.
Now for a moment, let me give credibility that the bacteria do in fact influence their environment (daisyworld) and can make it rain. The next question is how the bacteria managed to get the air humid, so that water was available to be formed into droplets? Wait, I’m wrong…
The next step will be to work out how these substances get up to the clouds
Perhaps the butterfly flapping its wings?
Science reporters understand science like dogs understand magic. I think business reporters and political reporters understand their beats about as well.