snow goose, (Chen caerulescens), a species of North American goose that may be either white or dark with black wingtips and pink legs and a bill with black gape (“grin”), belonging to the family Anatidae (order Anseriformes). Two subspecies are recognized. The lesser snow goose (Chen caerulescens

snow leopard, large long-haired Asian cat, classified as either Panthera uncia or Uncia uncia in the family Felidae. The snow leopard inhabits the mountains of central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, ranging from an elevation of about 1,800 metres (about 6,000 feet) in the winter to about 5,500

Peter Matthiessen: The Snow Leopard (1978), set in remote regions of Nepal, won both the National Book Award for nonfiction and the American Book Award.

solar system: Differentiation into inner and outer planets: …astronomers have dubbed the “snow line”—i.e., the minimum radius from the Sun at which water ice could have condensed, at about 150 K (−190 °F, −120 °C). The effect of the temperature gradient in the solar nebula can be seen today in the increasing fraction of condensed volatiles in…

snow line, the lower topographic limit of permanent snow cover. The snow line is an irregular line located along the ground surface where the accumulation of snowfall equals ablation (melting and evaporation). This line varies greatly in altitude and depends on several influences. On windward

snow mold, plant disease that attacks cereals, forage grasses, and turf grasses in northern areas of North America, Europe, and Asia. It is caused by soilborne fungi and is associated with melting snow or prolonged cold drizzly weather. Snow mold is most damaging on golf courses and other turf

primate: Distribution and abundance: …most remarkable, however, is the Japanese macaque (M. fuscata), which in the north of Honshu lives in mountains that are snow-covered for eight months of the year; some populations have learned to make life more tolerable for themselves by spending most of the day in the hot springs that bubble…

snow mold, plant disease that attacks cereals, forage grasses, and turf grasses in northern areas of North America, Europe, and Asia. It is caused by soilborne fungi and is associated with melting snow or prolonged cold drizzly weather. Snow mold is most damaging on golf courses and other turf

Maoke Mountains, westernmost segment of the central highlands of New Guinea. It is located in the Indonesian province of Papua. The range extends for 430 miles (692 km), and much of it lies above 12,000 feet (3,660 metres), with a number of peaks rising above the 14,500-foot (4,400-metre) snow

cup fungus: The edible snow mushroom (Helvella gigas) is found at the edge of melting snow in some localities. Caution is advised for all Helvella species. H. infula has a dull yellow to bay-brown, saddle-shaped cap. It grows on rotten wood and rich soil from late summer to early…

C.P. Snow was a British novelist, scientist, and government administrator. Snow was graduated from Leicester University and earned a doctorate in physics at the University of Cambridge, where, at the age of 25, he became a fellow of Christ’s College. After working at Cambridge in molecular physics

partridge: The snow partridge (Lerwa lerwa) of high mountains of south-central Asia resembles a ptarmigan in appearance and habits.

Derek Mahon: Other collections include Night-Crossing (1968), The Snow Party (1975), The Hunt by Night (1982), Harbour Lights (2005), Life on Earth (2008), and New Selected Poems (2016).

pea: …varieties, including sugar peas and snow peas, produce pods that are edible and are eaten raw or cooked like green beans; they are popular in East Asian cuisines. The plants are fairly easy to grow, and the seeds are a good source of protein and dietary fibre.

climate: Hail: The first is soft hail, or snow pellets, which are white opaque rounded or conical pellets as large as 6 mm (0.2 inch) in diameter. They are composed of small cloud droplets frozen together, have a low density, and are readily crushed.

petrel: The snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea), 35 cm, a pure white species, and the Antarctic petrel (Thalassoica antarctica), 42 cm, a brown-and-white-pied species, are rarely seen outside Antarctic waters.

poppy: Other poppies: …their large cut leaves; the snow poppy (Eomecon chionantha), a perennial from China, with white cuplike flowers in sprays; and the flaming poppy (Stylomecon heterophylla), with purple-centred brick-red flowers on an annual plant from western North America. The genus Meconopsis includes the Welsh poppy.

snow sheep, (Ovis nivicola), wild sheep belonging to the subfamily Caprinae (family Bovidae, order Artiodactyla), which is distributed throughout the mountain regions of eastern Siberia and is closely related to North American species such as the bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). As in all wild

Uragami Gyokudō: His Snow Sifted Through Frozen Clouds is considered a masterpiece.

Snow Storm—Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth, oil painting created about 1842 by English seascape artist J.M.W. Turner. Turner’s increasingly experimental work drew heavy criticism during the 1840s, and this painting was damned by some critics as “soapsuds and whitewash.” Influential contemporary

tire: Snow tires: Snow tires have an extra-deep tread for better traction on snow and ice. They are reputed to have 50 percent more pulling ability than regular tires on loosely packed snow and nearly 30 percent more on glare ice. In stopping on glare ice,…

American literature: Realism and metafiction: … mocked the fairy tale in Snow White (1967) and Freudian fiction in The Dead Father (1975). Barthelme was most successful in his short stories and parodies that solemnly caricatured contemporary styles, especially the richly suggestive pieces collected in Unspeakable Practices, Unnatural Acts (1968), City Life (1970), and Guilty Pleasures

Chris Hemsworth: Other roles: …in the reimagined fairy tale Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), a character he repeated in the less-successful The Huntsman: Winter’s War (2016). Other notable roles include that of Formula One race driver James Hunt in Ron Howard’s critically praised Rush (2013), a computer hacker in Michael Mann’s crime thriller…

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, American animated musical film, released in 1937, that established Walt Disney as one of the world’s most innovative and creative moviemakers. Along with Pinocchio (1940), it is widely considered to be Disney’s greatest film achievement. Loosely based on the famous

Winthrop Ames: …at the Booth (1926–29), and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1913), the first play designed especially for children and which Ames himself wrote under a pseudonym. Ames also directed the plays he produced. He retired in 1932 because of ill health.

C.P. Snow was a British novelist, scientist, and government administrator. Snow was graduated from Leicester University and earned a doctorate in physics at the University of Cambridge, where, at the age of 25, he became a fellow of Christ’s College. After working at Cambridge in molecular physics

Edgar Snow was an American journalist and author who produced the most important Western reporting on the Communist movement in China in the years before it achieved power. Snow attended the University of Missouri and the Columbia School of Journalism before landing his first job as a newspaper

Eliza Roxey Snow Smith was an American Mormon leader and poet, a major figure in defining the role of Mormon women through her work in numerous church organizations. Eliza Snow grew up from the age of two in Mantua, Ohio. Her family was deeply religious and in the 1820s joined the Campbellite sect

John Snow was an English physician known for his seminal studies of cholera and widely viewed as the father of contemporary epidemiology. His best-known studies include his investigation of London’s Broad Street pump outbreak, which occurred in 1854, and his “Grand Experiment,” a study comparing

Lorenzo Snow was the fifth president (1898–1901) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). After the murder of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormons, Snow supported Brigham Young as Smith’s successor and moved to Utah (1848). Snow founded Brigham City, Utah, in 1853 and served in

Fox News Channel: …that included Neil Cavuto and Tony Snow. It was the network’s opinion programming, however, that became most closely associated with the Fox News brand. Bill O’Reilly’s The O’Reilly Report (1996–98, continued as The O’Reilly Factor 1998–17) served as a showcase for O’Reilly’s confrontational interviewing style, and it was consistently the…

Fox News Channel: …that included Neil Cavuto and Tony Snow. It was the network’s opinion programming, however, that became most closely associated with the Fox News brand. Bill O’Reilly’s The O’Reilly Report (1996–98, continued as The O’Reilly Factor 1998–17) served as a showcase for O’Reilly’s confrontational interviewing style, and it was consistently the…

Snow-Bound, poem by John Greenleaf Whittier, published in 1866 and subtitled “A Winter Idyll.” This nostalgic pastoral poem recalls the New England rural home and family of the poet’s youth, where, despite the pummeling of the winter winds and snow, he and his family remained secure and comfortable

snow-on-the-mountain, (Euphorbia marginata), succulent plant of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), native to the central plains of the United States. The plants, which grow to a height of 60 cm (2 feet), have long, oval, light green foliage, with white-margined leaves near the top, where several

Russell Banks: …works included the poetry collection Snow: Meditations of a Cautious Man in Winter (1974); Banks’s first novel, Family Life (1975); and a collection of stories entitled The New World (1978).

viburnum: … variety roseum, is known as snowball, or guelder rose, for its round, roselike heads of sterile florets. Chinese snowball (V. macrocephalum variety sterile) and Japanese snowball (V. plicatum) are common snowball bushes with large balls of white to greenish white flowers. The 4.5-metre- (15-foot-) high black haw (V. prunifolium), of…

Snowball, fictional character, a pig who is one of the leaders of the revolt in Animal Farm (1945), George Orwell’s allegorical tale about the early history of Soviet Russia. Most critics agree that Snowball represents Leon Trotsky. (Read Leon Trotsky’s 1926 Britannica essay on

Snowball Earth hypothesis, in geology and climatology, an explanation first proposed by American geobiologist J.L. Kirschvink suggesting that Earth’s oceans and land surfaces were covered by ice from the poles to the Equator during at least two extreme cooling events between 2.4 billion and 580

garnet: Origin and occurrence: Pinwheel garnet and snowball garnet are designations sometimes applied to those garnets whose inclusions appear to have been rotated. These garnets occur sporadically in foliated metamorphic rocks. Although their presence in diverse rocks has been interpreted variously, present-day consensus appears to be that they represent rotation during growth…

super-Earth: For example, on snowball planets heavier than Earth that are completely frozen, the higher gravity would lead to high pressures at the bottom of the frozen oceans that would melt the ice and thus lead to layers of liquid water. One type of super-Earth, the Hycean world, is…

snowberry, any of about 18 species of low shrubs belonging to the genus Symphoricarpos of the family Caprifoliaceae. All are native to North America except for one species in central China. All have bell-shaped, pinkish or white flowers and two-seeded berries. The best-known ornamental species of

skibobbing, a winter sport using a guidable, single-track vehicle that has features of the bicycle, the bobsled, and skis. The longer rear ski is fixed, and the shorter front ski is mobile for steering; a saddle like that of a bicycle and a steering bar with handles complete the rig. The assembly

snowbird, species of junco

Anne Murray: …big with her hit “Snowbird” in 1970, which became a Top Ten crossover hit in pop, adult contemporary, and country. Murray suddenly became one of the most coveted singers in North America, appearing regularly on TV on such programs as The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, American Bandstand, and Saturday…

Do you know your residency rules?Ah, the empty nest! It’s time to move where you want to move and do what you want to do! But if you think you can simply pick up and live in the new state of your choice with no tax ramifications, think again. First, do some research so you know what you’re getting

snowboarding: Snowboard construction: The modern snowboard resembles an oversized wheelless skateboard to which the rider’s feet are attached with bindings. The size and shape of a snowboard varies according to the intended use of the board and the size of the snowboarder, though the average size of a board is…

snowboarding: Snowboard cross (boardercross): Snowboard cross (originally and still frequently called boardercross) is an event where multiple riders (four in Olympic competition) race simultaneously down the same inclined course with banked turns, jumps, berms, drops, and other artificial features that test the competitors’ balance and control at maximum speeds.…

snowboarding, winter sport with roots in skiing, surfing, and skateboarding where the primary activity is riding down any snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard with feet positioned roughly perpendicular to the board and its direction, further differentiating it from skiing, in which

Phyllanthus: The delicately branched Polynesian shrub, snowbush (Breynia nivosa, formerly P. nivosus), is widely grown in the tropical gardens and as a greenhouse plant in the north for its gracefully slender branches and delicate green and white leaves (pink and red in B. nivosa, variety roseopicta).

Nicolas Cage: …Rapture, and in Oliver Stone’s Snowden (2016) he was cast as a former intelligence officer.

Edward Snowden is an American intelligence contractor and whistleblower who in 2013 revealed the existence of secret wide-ranging information-gathering programs conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA). The case highlighted a host of issues, including the secret use of government power,

Edward Snowden is an American intelligence contractor and whistleblower who in 2013 revealed the existence of secret wide-ranging information-gathering programs conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA). The case highlighted a host of issues, including the secret use of government power,

Philip Snowden, Viscount Snowden was a socialist politician and propagandist and chancellor of the Exchequer in the first two Labour Party governments of Great Britain (1924; 1929–31). The son of a weaver, Snowden worked for the government as a clerk until he became crippled by a spinal disease. In

Snowdon, mountain in northern Wales that is the highest point in England and Wales and the principal massif in the Snowdonia mountains. It is located in the county of Gwynedd and the historic county of Caernarvonshire. Snowdon consists of about five main peaks that are connected by sharp ridges and

Richard Wilson: …predominates, as in his famed Snowdon from Llyn Nantlle. His landscapes of this period exerted considerable influence on J.M.W. Turner, John Constable, and John Crome. Wilson’s later works, such as Minchenden House, tend to abandon formal composition, using tonal methods of recording space. Many works ascribed to him, especially late…

Wales: Relief: …at Pen y Fan, and Snowdonia in the northwest, reaching 3,560 feet (1,085 metres) at Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. Snowdonia’s magnificent scenery is accentuated by stark and rugged rock formations, many of volcanic origin, whereas the Beacons generally have softer outlines. The uplands are girdled on the seaward…

Snowdonia National Park, national park in Gwynedd county and Conwy county borough, northern Wales, with an area of 838 square miles (2,171 square km). It is best known for its mountains, composed largely of volcanic rock and cut by valleys that show the influence of Ice Age glaciers. Snowdon

snowdrop, (genus Galanthus), genus of about 20 species of white-flowered Eurasian plants in the amaryllis family. They are commonly the earliest garden flowers to blossom in the late winter or early spring, sometimes emerging when snow is still on the ground. Several species, including common

storax: officinalis (snowdrop bush), native to eastern Europe and Asia Minor and growing to about 6 metres (20 feet). A resin known as storax, used in incense, was formerly obtained from S. officinalis.

silver bells, (Halesia carolina), deciduous plant, of the storax family (Styracaceae), native to southeastern and southern United States and cultivated as an ornamental. The tree grows from 12 to 24 metres (40 to 80 feet) tall and has alternate, stalked, toothed, bright-green leaves 5–10 cm (2–4

Lucy Snowe, fictional character, a shy, plain British teacher in Belgium who is the protagonist of Charlotte Brontë’s semiautobiographical novel Villette

Angus King: Olympia Snowe announced that she would not seek reelection, King ran for her seat. He won with 52.9 percent of the popular vote in a six-way race. After taking office in 2013, he caucused with the Democratic Party, though he continued to be known for…

snow: Snowflakes are formed by crystals of ice that generally have a hexagonal pattern, often beautifully intricate. The size and shape of the crystals depend mainly on the temperature and the amount of water vapour available as they develop. At temperatures above about −40 °C (−40…

snowflake, (genus Leucojum), small genus of flowering plants in the amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae). Several species, including spring snowflake (Leucojum vernum) and summer snowflake (L. aestivum), are cultivated as garden flowers. The plants are closely related to snowdrops (genus Galanthus)

number game: Pathological curves: Von Koch’s snowflake curve, for example, is the figure obtained by trisecting each side of an equilateral triangle and replacing the centre segment by two sides of a smaller equilateral triangle projecting outward, then treating the resulting figure the same way, and so on. The…

snowman porcelain, class of porcelain figures made at Longton Hall, Staffordshire, Eng., from c. 1750 to 1752. Called snowmen because of their thick white enveloping glaze, they include figures of human beings and animals sometimes inspired by Meissen originals. Stylistically they are more robust

Janet Frame: …volumes of short fiction are Snowman, Snowman: Fables and Fantasies (1963), The Reservoir: Stories and Sketches (1963), and You Are Now Entering the Human Heart (1983). Her poetry was collected in The Pocket Mirror (1967) and The Goose Bath (2006).

Jo Nesbø: …serial killer in Snømannen (2007; The Snowman). Panserhjerte (2009; “Armoured Heart”; The Leopard) has Hole tracked down in Hong Kong and persuaded to reengage in police work. Gjenferd (2011; “Ghost”; Phantom) treats the drug scene in Oslo and examines Hole’s experience of fatherhood, and Politi (2013; Police) continues the story…

Rebecca Ferguson: Stardom: The White Queen and the Mission: Impossible films: …at the International Space Station; The Snowman, based on Jo Nesbø’s novel about detective Harry Hole; and The Greatest Showman, a biographical musical about P.T. Barnum (played by Hugh Jackman).

snowmobile, a one- or two-passenger motorized vehicle with one or two skis in front and an engine-driven single or double continuous track to propel it. Snowmobiles almost all follow the basic design of skis, fuel tank, engine, and seating for driver. They are steered by handlebars that control the

avalanche: Avalanche conditions: A snowpack consists of layers of snow, each formed at different times. Once the snow is on the ground, the ice crystals undergo physical changes that differentiate the layers deeper in the snowpack from those on top. These changes can weaken a layer underlying a cohesive…

Jennifer Connelly: Connelly then starred in Snowpiercer (2020– ), which was her first TV series since The $treet (2000–01). She returned to the big screen in 2022, starring with Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick (2022), a sequel to the 1986 blockbuster.

history of film: South Korea: His English-language dystopian movie Snowpiercer (2013) had a huge international following. The offbeat comedy horror movie Gisaengchung (2019; Parasite) not only won an Academy Award for best international feature, it also became the only foreign-language movie to be awarded an Oscar for best picture, and Bong received awards for…

Henry King: Later films: …in the biblical-epic genre, and The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952). The latter was based on Ernest Hemingway’s short story about a famous writer (played by Peck) who is fatally injured while hunting big game in Africa and reflects back on his life; the supporting cast included Hayward and Ava Gardner.…

The Snows of Kilimanjaro, short story by Ernest Hemingway, first published in Esquire magazine in 1936 and later collected in The Fifth Column and the First Forty-nine Stories (1938). The stream-of-consciousness narrative relates the feelings of Harry, a novelist dying of gangrene poisoning while

snowshoe, a light, oval wooden frame that is usually strengthened by two or more crosspieces, strung with thongs, and attached to the foot and that is used to enable a person to walk or run on soft snow without sinking. Snowshoes were used by Indians and Eskimos in the wintry northern areas of

snowshoe hare, (Lepus americanus), northern North American species of hare that undergoes an annual colour change from brownish or grayish in summer to pure white in winter. The hind feet are heavily furred, and all four feet are large in proportion to body size, a snowshoe-like adaptation that

snowshoe hare, (Lepus americanus), northern North American species of hare that undergoes an annual colour change from brownish or grayish in summer to pure white in winter. The hind feet are heavily furred, and all four feet are large in proportion to body size, a snowshoe-like adaptation that

snowy egret, (Egretta thula), white New World egret (family Ardeidae). It is about 24 inches (60 cm) long and has filmy recurved plumes on the back and head. Formerly hunted for its plumes, it ranges from the United States to Chile and

serviceberry: …North American; exceptions include the snowy mespilus (Amelanchier ovalis), which ranges over Europe, and the Asian serviceberry, or Korean juneberry (A. asiatica), which is a small tree native to East Asia. The name shadbush refers to the tendency of certain species to produce their profuse small blossoms when American shad…

Snowy Mountains, range in the Australian Alps, southeastern New South Wales, including several peaks that exceed 7,000 feet (2,100 metres)—notably Mount Kosciuszko, the highest in Australia. On their slopes rise the Murray, Murrumbidgee, and Tumut rivers, which flow inland, and the Snowy River,

origins of agriculture: Irrigation: …project is seen in the Snowy Mountains Scheme of Australia (1949–74), where three river systems were diverted to convert hundreds of miles of arid but fertile plains to productive land. Intensive soil conservation methods were undertaken wherever the natural vegetation and soil surface had been disturbed. Drainage is controlled by…

origins of agriculture: Irrigation: …project is seen in the Snowy Mountains Scheme of Australia (1949–74), where three river systems were diverted to convert hundreds of miles of arid but fertile plains to productive land. Intensive soil conservation methods were undertaken wherever the natural vegetation and soil surface had been disturbed. Drainage is controlled by…

snowy owl, (Nyctea scandiaca), white or barred, brown-and-white bird of prey of the family Strigidae (order Strigiformes). It inhabits the Arctic tundra and sometimes wanders southward in Europe, Asia, and North America. Snowy owls are about 60 cm (about 2 feet) long and have broad wings and a

Snowy River, river, southeastern New South Wales and eastern Victoria, Australia, rising on the eastern slopes of the Snowy Mountains near Mount Kosciuszko and flowing about 270 miles (430 km) southeast, then west and south to Bass Strait at Marlo. Its chief tributaries are the Eucumbene, Thredbo,

sheathbill: The pure-white snowy sheathbill (C. alba), 40 cm (16 inches) long, has a yellow bill. The lesser sheathbill (C. minor) is black-billed and is about 38 cm (15 inches) long.

cricket: The snowy tree cricket (Oecanthus fultoni) is popularly known as the thermometer cricket because the approximate temperature (Fahrenheit) can be estimated by counting the number of chirps in 15 seconds and adding 40. Tree- and bush-inhabiting crickets usually sing at night, whereas weed-inhabiting crickets sing both…

single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), variation in a genetic sequence that affects only one of the basic building blocks—adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T), or cytosine (C)—in a segment of a DNA molecule and that occurs in more than 1 percent of a population. An example of an SNP is the

Scottish National Party (SNP), nationalist political party that has sought to make Scotland an independent state within the European Union (EU). The SNP was formed in 1934 from a union of the National Party of Scotland (founded in 1928) and the Scottish Party (1932). From the beginning,

Elf Aquitaine: …Pyrenees, and in 1941 the Société Nationale des Pétroles d’Aquitaine (SNPA; “National Society for Petroleum in Aquitaine”) was founded to explore further in the southwest of the country. In 1949 and again in 1951 important deposits were struck by SNPA drills near the mountain village of Lacq. Under the direction…

electronic music: Computer sound synthesis: …are low enough for the signal-to-noise ratio to exceed commercial standards (55 to 70 decibels).

supernova remnant, nebula left behind after a supernova, a spectacular explosion in which a star ejects most of its mass in a violently expanding cloud of debris. At the brightest phase of the explosion, the expanding cloud radiates as much energy in a single day as the Sun has done in the past

nucleic acid: Other RNAs: For example, small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) are involved in RNA splicing (see below), and other small RNAs that form part of the enzymes telomerase or ribonuclease P are part of ribonucleoprotein particles. The RNA component of telomerase contains a short sequence that serves as a template for…

nucleic acid: Splicing: …consists of a number of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs) that contain small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs).

Serbia: Independent Serbia: The newly formed Serbian Progressive Party (Srpska Napredna Stranka; SNS), which had split off from the Radicals in 2008, had by 2010 joined the DS in supporting Serbia’s accession to the EU. In March 2010 the Serbian parliament voted to condemn the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of Bosniaks (Bosnian…

Slovakia: Political process: …Democratic and Christian Union, the Slovak National Party, the Party of the Hungarian Coalition, the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, and the Christian Democratic Movement.

snub-nosed monkey, (genus Rhinopithecus), any of four species of large and unusual leaf monkeys (see langur) found in highland forests of central China and northern Vietnam. They have a broad, short face with wide-set slanting eyes and a short, flat nose with forward-facing nostrils. The golden

snub-nosed monkey, (genus Rhinopithecus), any of four species of large and unusual leaf monkeys (see langur) found in highland forests of central China and northern Vietnam. They have a broad, short face with wide-set slanting eyes and a short, flat nose with forward-facing nostrils. The golden

shock absorber, device for controlling unwanted motion of a spring-mounted vehicle. On an automobile, for example, the springs act as a cushion between the axles and the body and reduce the shocks on the body produced by a rough road surface. Some combinations of road surface and car speed may

snuff, powdered preparation of tobacco used by inhalation or by dipping—that is, rubbing on the teeth and gums. Manufacture involves grinding the tobacco and subjecting it to repeated fermentations. Snuffs may be scented with attar of roses, lavender, cloves, jasmine, etc. Some of the first peoples