A strange phenomenon is turning some of California's snowy landscapes pink. Here's the secret behind what causes watermelon ...

A) Green snow, B) Red snow, C) Snow algae (members of the green algae), which are the main cause of green snow, and D) Parasitic chytrid infecting snow algae. Parasitic chytrids causes host death.

Algae that tinge snow red are to blame for about a sixth of the snowmelt at an Alaskan ice field Microbes are pushing glacial snow into the red. An alga species that grows on glaciers gives the ...