Why do our noses get snotty when we are sick? A school nurse explains the powers of mucus

Slimy snot is an important part of how your immune system wards off germs and fights back from infection.

Kristin Ahrens, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Adjunct Instructor of Nursing at Purdue Global, Purdue University • conversation
Nov. 6, 2023 ~6 min

Inhalable powder could shield lungs from COVID

Researchers have created an inhalable powder that could protect the lungs and airways from invading viruses.

Tracey Peake-NC State • futurity
Feb. 15, 2023 ~5 min


A nagging cough can hang on for weeks or months following a respiratory illness – and there is precious little you can do about it

Some coughs can last for weeks or even months following an upper respiratory infection. The good news – albeit not very satisfying – is that most eventually go away on their own.

Kyle B. Enfield, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia • conversation
Feb. 10, 2023 ~9 min

Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

An effective nasal vaccine could stop the virus that causes COVID-19 right at its point of entry. But devising one that works has been a challenge for researchers.

Michael W. Russell, Professor Emeritus of Microbiology and Immunology, University at Buffalo • conversation
Dec. 14, 2022 ~9 min

Curious Kids: what is snail slime – and why is it shiny?

Snails use their slime to help them move, stop them drying out and to scare off predators.

Alan Gunn, Principal Lecturer in Invertebrate Biology, Liverpool John Moores University • conversation
Oct. 27, 2022 ~5 min

This ‘trick’ helped mucus evolve to defend against disease

Slime-coating slugs and the saliva in our mouths are two types of bodily fluids that contain mucus. A new study explores how this marvel of biology evolved.

Charlotte Hsu-Buffalo • futurity
Aug. 29, 2022 ~8 min

Slime is all around and inside you – new research on its origins offers insight into genetic evolution

A vast array of species, including people, use slime for a variety of essential bodily functions. Studying the genetic ancestry of slime surprisingly showcases the role of repetitive DNA in evolution.

Omer Gokcumen, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo • conversation
Aug. 26, 2022 ~9 min

Amoebas point the way to clear mucus from COPD lungs

Amoeba biology may help scientists find a new way to sweep mucus from the lungs of people with COPD, a widespread lung disease.

Vanessa Wasta-Johns Hopkins • futurity
April 27, 2021 ~8 min


Cystic fibrosis mucus acts like sushi rice

Excess mucus that affects people with cystic fibrosis stick together when compressed. Think of it the same way compressed rice sticks to food to make sushi.

Amerigo Allegretto-Pitt • futurity
Nov. 16, 2020 ~5 min

Aerosols are a bigger coronavirus threat than WHO guidelines suggest – here's what you need to know

More than 200 scientists wrote to the WHO, warning about aerosol transmission of the coronavirus. The WHO has since acknowledged the evidence but hasn't change its advice yet.

Goodarz Ahmadi, Professor of mechanical engineering, Clarkson University • conversation
July 9, 2020 ~9 min

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