Ice-loving bacteria are skiers’ friends CANADIAN SKIERS can rejoice: their chances of ski- ing on lots of the heavenly white stuff may soon be bet- ter than ever, thanks to some ice-loving bacteria. These peculiar microbes are whizzes at causing the formation of ice crystals and are so effective that they can increase the efficiency of snow-making operations by as much as 80 per cent. In a joint contract,the Alberta Research Council and Bio-Frost Inc., of Hamilton, Ontario, are planning a commercial-scale facility to produce the bacteria.. It is expected to take--12 ‘to 24 months to complete. .. The parent company, Ad- “vanced Genetic Sciences, Inc, | of Berkeley, ‘Califor- nia, has done small-scale ’ ..field tests for the past three years in Colorado and Ver- “mont, Next year three tonnes -of ‘the bacteria, made in ‘Edmonton, will be available ‘for selected ski areas in - North. America, of which two will be in Canada. The trial areas are yet to be an- nounced. The ice-making strain of bacteria is. grown . from Ratural bacteria found’ on most plants in. areas of fre- quent’. frosts. ~The “ice-.. i A SENSATIONAL BUY ON A HEAVY-DUTY ia Hotpoint 2 SPEED, 5 CYCLEF WASH ER AND DRYER makers, ( ialled. Pseudomonas syringaé, are extremely -ef-~: fective inaw cers of ice-crystal formation. : The commercial bacteria product: isa freeze-dried powder that easily - mixes with .water. This water Would be .atomised and sprayed .by. conventional .. -$now-making techniques, then wouid freeze and fail as ‘snow. The bacteria both en- 4 , . courage and:hasten the for- “= mation of .the tiny ice- & ~ erystals that:make up snow, |" § $0 more of the water freezes a ‘in the air, rather than falling to the ground as water. _The .addition of the ‘ ‘bacteria means an 80. per cent increase in snow-mak- | ing efficiency. In additicn, more snow can be: made at - | marginal © temperatures’ '.(be- tween --7° and 0°), the temperature range in which. 8 most snow-making is done. . The. Alberta Research Council. will provide ad- . vanced computerized scale- Living on the edge From Page 24 car all the time then you'd know he wasn’t wringing everything there was from it.’ Two local North Shore firms, Jack Linder’s ‘Centerline Engines and Doug Hanchard’s Ford Per- formance Shop, are two re- cent additions that handle the critical engine rebuilds and tuning that keep the Mahood Formula Racing Lola running up front. Mahood is currently in se- cond place in the B.C. For- mula Ford Championship after two events. His next race is on the Gilles Villeneuve Memorial For- mula Atlantic week-end at Westwood on July 21. He'll be driving his Lola T-342 in the ‘VUI3/Sony Store Challenge’, which is the feature supporting event to the Player’s pacific Formula Adantic race. up facilities in its biotechnology pilot plant for the project. Mr. John Unsworth, president of Bio-Frost, Inc. says the bacteria pose no health hazard. They are not pathogens (disease-causing), and the manufacturer's freeze-drying process kills them, he says. They induce ice-formation by the geometrical shape of their proteins, which is not altered by the freeze-drying. Better skiing is not the on- ly application of these handy little ice-makers. Exxon, Inc. of Canada is using the powder to armor its islands in the Arctic against the destructive effects of floating ice floes. Artificial islands for oil drilling, constructed from dredgings from the bottom, can be fortified with ice against damage from drif- ting ice floes. Boats spray the bacteria/water mixture into the air around the island. A protective ice shield forms around the edge of the island, protecting it from passing floes. In future, a purified form of the bacteria may be used in food processing, to hasten freezing 0} of Products.’ Checkt features | THE DRYER —-FULLY AUTOMATIC —4-WAY VENTING —3 HEAT SELECTIONS NOW EXCEPTIONALLY PRICED AT COLONY WH HOME FURNISHINGS We accept all three You use your credit cards in restaurants, stores, foreign countries, to buy food, clothing, appliances and just about anything you want. Now why not use them to pay for your Classified Ads in the North Shore News! Besides the convenience, you'll save a $1.00 billing charge. Charge your classifieds . Buying or selling, save time and money Charge ’em. | —Eesam | at BUY WITH CONFIDENCE 1F YOU FIND IT ADVERTISED FOR LESS — WE'LL REFU THE DIFFERENCE THE WASHER —2 SPEED, 5 CYCLE —5 TEMP. COMBOS —VARIABLE WATER LEVEL —HUGE 18lb. CAPACITY —SELF-CLEAN LINT FILTER : — BLEACHIFAB.SOFT. 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