Achoo! How fast does a sneeze travel?
parinyabinsuk/Getty
Every sneeze is like a snowflake. Unique, beautiful, wet! Sneezes help our noses get rid of stuff that’s not supposed to be there, like dust, dirt, or pollen. But how fast do sneezes travel? And how exactly does our body make them?
Join Molly and co-host Anna as they explore the science behind sneezes, snot, and boogers! They’ll take a tour inside Marc's nose and watch a daredevil booger attempt to break the sneeze speed record! Then they’ll learn all about nasal mucus from otolaryngologist a.k.a. self-described professional snot sucker, Dr. Andrew Redmann. Plus a honker of a mystery sound!
Featured Expert: Dr. Andrew Redmann is a pediatric otolaryngologist at Children’s Minnesota and an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota.
Audio Transcript
Download transcript (PDF)
ANNA: You're listening to Brains On! where we're serious about being curious.
CHILD: Brains On! is supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
ANNA: Hey, Molly.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, hi, Anna. I-- huh-- ugh!
ANNA: What's wrong?
MOLLY BLOOM: I keep feeling like I'm about to sneeze, but it just won't come out. I really shouldn't have skipped through that dandelion field earlier or stuck my head underneath my dusty bed or sniffed all that black pepper. [SNIFFLES] Do you ever feel like you really have to sneeze, but for some reason, you just can't?
ANNA: Oh, yeah, I hate that.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, here it comes. Huh-- ugh, nuts!
MARC SANCHEZ: [WHISTLING]
Hey there, Anna. Hi, Molly.
ANNA: Hi, Marc.
MOLLY BLOOM: You're in a pretty chipper mood today, Marc. What's going on?
MARC SANCHEZ: Well, as I'm sure you know, I've been getting into model-making, and this weekend, I've finally finished my masterpiece.
[TRUMPET FANFARE]
It's a 1:74th scale replica of Old Ironsides, the ship also known as the USS Constitution.
MOLLY BLOOM: That's-- ha-- ha-- um, amazing, Marc.
ANNA: What's it made out of? It's gray and fluffy.
MARC SANCHEZ: That's the best part. I make all my models out of things I find around the house. This one's made of dust bunnies--
MOLLY BLOOM: Huh?
MARC SANCHEZ: --pet hair--
MOLLY BLOOM: Huh?
MARC SANCHEZ: --and dryer lint.
MOLLY BLOOM: [SNEEZES]
ANNA: Gesundheit, Molly, you finally got your sneeze out.
MARC SANCHEZ: My model!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MOLLY BLOOM: You're listening to Brains On from APM Studios. I'm Molly Bloom, and my co-host today is Anna from Sharpsburg, Georgia. Hey, Anna.
ANNA: Hi, Molly.
MOLLY BLOOM: Today we're talking sneezes. Anna, have you ever felt like you had to sneeze really bad, but it just won't come out?
ANNA: Yes, it's a horrible feeling.
MOLLY BLOOM: It really is. So what things do you find make you sneeze?
ANNA: Stuff that I'm allergic to and when I have a cold.
MOLLY BLOOM: Yeah, I'm allergic to a bunch of stuff. What are you allergic to?
ANNA: Pollen, grass, plants, mold.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, my gosh, we're allergic to the same stuff. Our sneezes are like twin sisters. It's very cute. So are you a person who sneezes in multiples? Like, you have a sneezing fit, and every time you sneeze, it just happens a bunch of times?
ANNA: Sometimes. When it's allergy season, yes. But other times, I just sneeze, and then I'm just done sneezing.
MOLLY BLOOM: Totally. My dad is a person who always sneezes. He cannot sneeze only once. He always sneezes more than once. And one time, my daughter and I counted how many sneezes he did, he had 27 sneezes.
ANNA: Wow.
MOLLY BLOOM: It was so many, he just could not stop. So do you know anyone who sneezes really loud or has a fun sneeze?
ANNA: I know two people that can sneeze really loud, my dad and my grandpa. They sneeze really loudly.
MOLLY BLOOM: Does it surprise you when it happens?
ANNA: Yes, because I'm just doing something. And it just makes me jump because it's so loud.
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS]
One of my good friends has the cutest little sneeze. She sneezes like this, she goes, (HIGH-PITCHED VOICE) achoo! And that's her sneeze. And my sneeze is not as cute at all. I'm always like, wow, you sound like a little bunny. It's so cute.
SPEAKER (SINGING): Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba Brains On!
MOLLY BLOOM: Today's episode was inspired by a question that you sent to us, Anna.
ANNA: I wanted to know how fast we sneeze. How many miles per hour is my sneeze going?
MOLLY BLOOM: This is such a great question, and I'm wondering what made you think of it.
ANNA: I was sneezing, and it seemed super fast. And you can't count it, like a blink. So I wanted to know how fast it was.
MOLLY BLOOM: Very good thinking. Well, before we answer your question, let's talk about what a sneeze is.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
It starts, unsurprisingly, in your nostrils.
ANNA: Those are the two holes in your nose that you breathe through. Inside your nostrils are tiny little hairs called cilia.
MOLLY BLOOM: Yeah, if you've never noticed these, go look up your nose in a mirror. It's a hairy wonderland in there. These hairs are super sensitive to things that aren't supposed to be in your nose, stuff like dust or dirt.
ANNA: Or things people are allergic to, like pollen from flowers or fur from your pets.
MOLLY BLOOM: Right. When this stuff gets in your nose, it tickles the little hairs, which sends a message to your brain to sneeze it out.
ANNA: A sneeze is a reflex, like when a doctor taps your knee and your leg moves by itself.
MOLLY BLOOM: And once a sneeze starts, there's usually no stopping it.
ANNA: When your brain tells your nose to sneeze, it affects all different parts of your body.
MOLLY BLOOM: Your eyes shut. Your tongue moves the top of your mouth. And muscles in your chest and stomach tighten, causing you to breathe in really deeply. After your lungs fill up with enough air, they let it all out at once really fast, a sneeze.
[MAN SNEEZES]
ANNA: A few different things can come out when you sneeze, big drops of snot and mucus in a cloud of smaller drops.
MOLLY BLOOM: And even though you can't see it, the sneeze cloud can hang out in the air for a long time. It's often full of germs that can make someone else sick. So it's important to always cover your mouth when you sneeze to stop those germs from shooting out into the air.
MARC SANCHEZ: Hey, Anna. Hi, Molly. [SNEEZES]
ANNA: Nice job covering your nose and mouth, Marc.
MARC SANCHEZ: [SNIFFLES]
Ugh, got to keep these pesky little germies from flying around.
MOLLY BLOOM: Marc, I am so sorry I sneezed all over your dust bunny-dryer lint-pet hair model.
MARC SANCHEZ: It's OK. I can always remake it. But all the dust and pet hair and dryer lint in the air has been making me sneeze.
[SNIFFLES]
Ugh, I just came in here to grab some tissues.
ANNA: Hang on, that gives me an idea. We're trying to figure out how fast sneezes travel.
MARC SANCHEZ: And?
[SNEEZES]
ANNA: What if we look inside Marc's nose and get up close and personal with the real sneeze?
MARC SANCHEZ: [SNIFFLES]
Ugh! Uh, that's a-- ah-- ah--
[SNEEZES]
That's a great idea.
MOLLY BLOOM: Ooh, a sniffer safari, a nose-ploration. We can use the zoom ray. It lets us zoom in on small things so we can watch them up close.
MAN: Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom--
[CROWD CHEERING]
ANNA: So this is Marc's nose?
MOLLY BLOOM: It's not actually as hairy as I would have thought.
ANNA: Whoa, check out that big crowd of boogers.
MOLLY BLOOM: And they're cheering for something?
ANNOUNCER: Loogies and gentle-phlegm, boogs and germs, gather round. Today we witness an event the likes of which have never been seen in these nostrils, an attempt to break the sneeze speed record.
[CROWD CHEERING]
ANNA: Looks like we came at the right time.
ANNOUNCER: Here to attempt this daring feat is someone you all know and love. He's a mean green mucus machine, the bravest booger this side of the septum, you know him, you love him. Make some noise for Snot Rocket.
[CHEERING]
MOLLY BLOOM: What do you know, a daredevil booger.
SNOT ROCKET: What up, my nose goblins? Who's ready to see some serious speed?
[CHEERING]
Now remember, I'm a trained professional. Whatever you do, don't try this at home. I don't have to remind you all what happened to the last booger that tried this stunt, Sneezel Knievel.
[SAD TRUMPET]
ANNOUNCER: I will now initiate the sneeze. Ready, set--
ANNA: We'd better get our stopwatches out.
ANNOUNCER: Release the dust bunnies!
SNOT ROCKET: Ah-- ah--
[SNEEZES]
[CHEERING]
ANNA: Whoa, that was super fast. By my stopwatch, he clocked in at over 40 miles an hour.
MOLLY BLOOM: That's like the top speed of a racehorse.
ANNA: Wow, that's a lot faster than I would have thought.
MOLLY BLOOM: Let's zoom out and get Marc some tissues.
SPEAKER: Zoom!
ANNA: That was an epic sneeze, Marc.
MARC SANCHEZ: Thanks.
[BLOWS NOSE]
MOLLY BLOOM: Did you have a daredevil boogie in your nose, and it shot out at 40 miles per hour when you sneezed?
MARC SANCHEZ: Wow, that is fast. Nah, I guess that's why you'd say my nose is running. Get it? Running! I crack myself up. [CHUCKLES]
MOLLY BLOOM: There's a lot more to learn about sneezes, snot, and what's in them. But first, it's time for the--
SPEAKER: Shh.
CHILD (WHISPERING): Mystery sound.
MOLLY BLOOM: Are you ready for the mystery sound, Anna?
ANNA: Yes.
MOLLY BLOOM: Here it is.
[BOTTLES CLANKING]
Hmm, what do you think?
ANNA: It sounds like glass bottles.
MOLLY BLOOM: Yes, it does. Excellent ears. Let's hear it one more time and see if anything else pops up.
[BOTTLES CLANKING]
What do you think?
ANNA: Yeah, it sounds like something that's glass falling into a plastic trash can or something.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oof, I love the specificity. Excellent guess. Well, we will hear it again. Get another chance to guess and hear the answer after the credits.
ANNA: So stick around.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MOLLY BLOOM: Here at Brains On, we love art, drawings of noses, paintings of daredevil boogers, you name it.
ANNA: And we want to see what you make.
MOLLY BLOOM: Yes, send us your art.
ANNA: Share your work with us at branson.org/contact.
MOLLY BLOOM: While you're there, you can send us your mystery sounds and questions, too.
ANNA: Like this one.
CHILD: How are computers programmed to understand ones and zeros?
MOLLY BLOOM: You can find answers to questions like these on the Moment of Um podcast. Again, that's brainson.org.
ANNA: So keep listening.
SPEAKER: Brains On! Universe is a family of podcasts for kids and their adults. Since you're a fan of Brains On, we know you'll love the other shows in our universe. Come on, let's explore.
[WHIRRING]
ROBOT 1: Here we are in Brains On! Universe, [ZAP] home to my favorite podcasts.
[BEEP]
ROBOT 2: Brains On!
[BEEP]
Smash Boom Best.
[BEEP] Forever Ago.
ROBOT 1: [GASPS]
I found one. Forever Ago, the history show hosted by Joy Dolo.
[CLASSICAL MUSIC]
JOY DOLO: It was the early 1800s, Beethoven was busy composing new symphonies, steam-powered trains were brand new inventions, and a British naturalist named William Swainson was exploring the jungles of Bri--
ROBOT 1: [GASPS]
What a great show. Need more Forever Ago now!
SPEAKER: Listen to Forever Ago, wherever you get your podcasts.
SPEAKER (ROBOTIC VOICE): Brains On! On, on, on.
ANNA: You're listening to Brains On! I'm Anna.
MOLLY BLOOM: And I'm Molly. And today we're talking all about sneezes, snot, and boogers.
ANNA: Sneezing helps our noses get rid of stuff that's not supposed to be in there, like dust, dirt, or pollen.
MOLLY BLOOM: We don't have any control over when we sneeze. And a sneeze uses all different muscles in your chest, stomach, and head.
ANNA: Our sneezes can be full of germs that can make people sick, so it's important to cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze.
MOLLY BLOOM: And we just learned that sneezes can shoot droplets of snot and mucus at speeds of over 40 miles per hour.
ANNA: Each sneeze is like a snowflake, unique, beautiful, wet.
MOLLY BLOOM: We asked you to send in your best sneeze recordings, and your responses were snot bad.
GABRIEL: Hello, my name is Gabriel. I'm going to do my sneezing.
[SNEEZES]
I call it the Snore.
LENNON: My name is Lennon. My sneeze is named Achoo-nicorn because it's like this, a-chooo!
SAWYER: Hello, my name is Sawyer, and I'm from Rhinebeck, New York. This would be my sneeze.
[SNEEZES]
And it would be called the Big Bang.
SAMUEL: Hi, my name is Samuel. My sneeze is a supernova. And it sounds like this. Hoo!
MADELEINE: Hi, I'm Madeleine. And my sneeze idea is--
[HIGH-PITCHED SNEEZE]
I want to call it the bunny suit.
JAMES: I'm James, and my sneeze idea is uh-- uh-- I don't know. And I'm going to call it the I-Don't-Know sneeze.
- Hi, I'm Evelyn from Columbus, Ohio, and this is my sneeze. Aah-choo! It's a grandpa sneeze. It's how my grandpa sneezes.
MOLLY BLOOM: Thanks to Gabriel, Lennon, Sawyer, Samuel, Madeleine, James, and Evelyn for sharing your sneezes with us. So, Anna, if you had to create a sneeze and give it a name, what would it be?
ANNA: I think it would sound like a train, and I'd probably call it a Large Train of Snot.
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS]
I love it. Can you give an example of what that sneeze might sound like?
ANNA: Choo-choo, choo-choo, choo-choo.
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHING]
Brilliant, so good.
SPEAKER: Brains On!
MOLLY BLOOM: So like we mentioned, there's all different stuff in our sneezes, from big drops of snot to clouds of little drops that hang around in the air. But we haven't talked about my favorite thing, nasal mucus.
ANNA: Your favorite?
MOLLY BLOOM: Nasal mucus is very, very, very cool. But don't take my word for it. Just watch this commercial.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
SPEAKER: Sometimes air is cold. Sometimes it's dry. No one wants to breathe that kind of air. Make the smart choice and shut your mouth
CROWD: Say what?
SPEAKER: Shut your mouth and breathe through your nose. Nasal mucus will take care of it.
CROWD: Nasal mucus.
SPEAKER: Take a deep breath in through your nose.
[INHALES]
By the time the air reaches the back of your nose, it's nice and wet, thanks to your nasal mucus. This moist goo is made right in your nose.
CROWD: Nasal mucus.
SPEAKER: But wait, there's more. Your nasal mucus keeps you healthy. It can trap bacteria, viruses, and other stuff you don't want in your body. And it has special germ-fighting chemicals to help neutralize those nasty bugs.
CROWD: Nasal mucus.
SPEAKER: Plus, the nasal mucus in your nose is part of a sophisticated self-cleaning system. Inside your nose are tiny microscopic hairs. These mini hairs are constantly sweeping your nasal mucus out of your nose. It cleans itself out every 20 minutes.
CROWD: Where does it go?
SPEAKER: You swallow it. Most people swallow somewhere between four and eight cups of nasal mucus every day.
CROWD: Nasal mucus.
SPEAKER: Don't worry. It's all part of your elegant schnoz system. Your nasal mucus is almost all water, so it's perfectly safe to swallow.
CROWD: Thanks, nasal mucus.
ANNA: I agree. Nasal mucus is pretty nifty.
MOLLY BLOOM: Yes, we are very lucky to have special cells in our noses that make nasal mucus, which protects us and makes the air easier to breathe.
ANNA: Is nasal mucus the same as boogers?
MOLLY BLOOM: Ooh, good question. To help us answer this question and more, we have Dr. Andrew Redmann here from the University of Minnesota. He's an otolaryngologist, a.k.a. A professional snot sucker.
ANNA: Welcome, Andrew.
ANDREW REDMANN: Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.
ANNA: What exactly do you do?
ANDREW REDMANN: Well, I'm an otolaryngologist or most people will call us ENT doctors or ear, nose, and throat doctors. But I take care of kids who have issues with their ears, their noses, and their throats.
ANNA: Is it bad to pick your nose?
ANDREW REDMANN: Well, picking your nose, we know that it feels good to get those boogers out. But there's actually some downsides to it. The two in particular is that if you pick your nose, you can cause nosebleeds, and those can be uncomfortable.
A lot of us have had nosebleeds before, and it makes our parents really worried sometimes when we have nosebleeds. So picking your nose is actually one of the biggest things you can do to make your nose bleed. So we generally recommend that you don't do that.
The other thing is that your fingers are in all sorts of things all day, and they have a lot of bacteria on them often. So when doctors tell you to wash your hands, that's because your hands are touching everything, and they get bacteria on them. And if you pick your nose, you can get that bacteria from everywhere else and end up putting it in your nose. And it turns out your nose doesn't like it very much when you put bacteria there.
ANNA: Why do our noses produce more mucus when we're sick?
ANDREW REDMANN: Yeah, that's a great question. There's a couple of reasons. The first is that mucus or boogers, depending on what you want to call it, it actually is a protective mechanism for us. So it actually filters out things that come in through your nose like dust, bacteria, and allergens. If you're allergic to cats, cat hair can cause you to get allergies. And so your mucus actually filters that out.
But when you get sick, your body actually makes more mucus because it's trying to keep things out. When your immune system comes and it helps to fight whatever you're sick with, it'll actually-- I'm going to use the term poop out the bad stuff into your mucus so that your body can get rid of it by blowing their nose out. So that's why your body makes more mucus when you're sick.
ANNA: And I notice when you're sick, your mucus tends to be like in a greener shade. So what does the color of mucus mean?
ANDREW REDMANN: Yeah, so when you're not sick, mucus is generally pretty clear. But when you have a cold or a sinus infection or something like that, what happens is your body, the cells that come and help fight that infection will actually release these different proteins that turn your mucus different colors.
And actually, if you have chronic sinus infections, it can turn your mucus different colors longer term. The reason why your mucus turns colors, it's actually your body's fighting it and getting rid of bacteria and waste products into your mucus so that you can blow it out and get those boogers out.
ANNA: Is nasal mucus the same as boogers?
ANDREW REDMANN: Yeah, basically it is. Boogers is just what kids call it, and mucus is what boring adults call it.
MOLLY BLOOM: [CHUCKLES]
ANNA: How do people have nasal inflammation and nasal infections?
ANDREW REDMANN: Yeah, that's a great question, Anna. So your nose is actually designed for a couple things. It's designed for smell. So if you plug your nose, you can't smell very well. And it's also designed as a protective mechanism. So almost everything you breathe in will get filtered through your nose. Your nose just experiences all of these things from the outside world.
And when there's-- especially in the winter or if you're around a lot of people, there's just lots of viruses and bacteria going around. And your nose is usually the first part of your body that experiences what's going on. And so that's why your nose tends to get stuffed up and you tend to get sick a lot with your nose. Boogers are great, but not too many of them.
MOLLY BLOOM: So when you do have those too many boogers in your nose, we shouldn't be picking them. What should we do instead?
ANDREW REDMANN: Yeah, that's a great question. So you can blow them out. So using a tissue, blow those boogers out. That's perfectly fine to do. The other thing that can be really helpful is actually using-- if you're having a lot of trouble sleeping tonight, using a humidifier to help thin that out.
If you can-- if the mucus gets really thick or the boogers get really thick, having a humidifier or using a saltwater nose spray can thin them out and actually allow them to come out a lot easier. The other thing is that our bodies produce a lot of mucus, and most of the mucus you produce, you actually swallow without even knowing about it.
So everybody swallows a lot of boogers every day without even knowing about it. You can tell your mom that and say, Mom, you know what, you're swallowing boogers, too. It's just normal.
MOLLY BLOOM: [CHUCKLES]
Perfect.
ANNA: Thanks for answering our questions, Dr. Redmann.
ANDREW REDMANN: You're very welcome. I hope you guys have a great rest of the day.
MOLLY BLOOM: You, too. Thanks so much.
ANNA: Bye.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MOLLY BLOOM: A sneeze happens when something gets in your nose that the body doesn't want there, like pollen, dust, or pepper.
ANNA: It's a reflex. So once a sneeze is triggered, you can't really stop it.
MOLLY BLOOM: A sneeze can shoot out of your schnoz at a speed of up to 40 miles per hour.
ANNA: And it can leave a cloud of germs in the air, so always cover your mouth.
MOLLY BLOOM: Nasal mucus helps protect your nose and your body from germs and makes the air you breathe less dry. It's magical stuff. And leave it up there. Don't pick it out. Don't do it. That's it for this episode of Brains On!
ANNA: This episode was written by--
JESS MILLER: Jess Miller.
ANNA: --and--
MOLLY BLOOM: Molly Bloom.
ANNA: It was edited by--
MOLLY BLOOM: Shahla Farzan.
ANNA: --and--
SANDEN TOTTEN: Sanden Totten.
ANNA: Fact checking by--
ROSIE DUPONT: Rosie duPont.
MOLLY BLOOM: We had engineering help from Josh Savageau and Dave Wilson with sound design by--
RACHEL BREES: Rachel Brees.
MOLLY BLOOM: Original theme music by--
MARC SANCHEZ: Marc Sanchez.
ANNA: We had production help from the rest of the Brains On! Universe team.
MOLLY BLOOM: Anna Goldfield, Nico Gonzalez Whistler.
RUBY GUTHRIE: Ruby Guthrie.
LAUREN HUMPERT: Lauren Humpert.
JOSHUA RAY: Joshua Ray.
MARC SANCHEZ: Marc Sanchez.
CHARLOTTE TRAVER: Charlotte Traver.
MOLLY BLOOM: Anna Weggel.
ANNA: --and--
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Aron Woldeslassie.
MOLLY BLOOM: Beth Pearlman is our executive producer, and the executives in charge for APM Studios are Chandra Kavati and Joanne Griffith. Special thanks to Joy Dolo, Monique Nascimento, Ezra Zhang, Tim Piers, and Max.
ANNA: Brains On! is a non-profit public radio program.
MOLLY BLOOM: There are lots of ways to support the show. Subscribe to Brains On! Universe on YouTube, where you can watch animated versions of some of your favorite episodes or head to brainson.org.
ANNA: While you're there, you can send us mystery sounds, drawings, and questions.
MOLLY BLOOM: Anna, are you ready to hear that mystery sound again?
ANNA: Yes
MOLLY BLOOM: All right. Here it is.
[BOTTLES CLANKING]
New thoughts? Stick with the same guess. What are you thinking?
ANNA: I think I'm going to stick with the same thing. I can think of something, but I can't really put it into words. Like, it still sounds like glass bottles falling into something plastic.
MOLLY BLOOM: I love it. You have excellent ears. Would you like to hear the answer?
ANNA: Yes.
MOLLY BLOOM: Here it is.
MARGO: I'm Margo from Prairie Village, Kansas, and that was the sound of glass bottles being recycled into a recycling bin.
ANNA: Oh.
MOLLY BLOOM: Anna, incredible. The specificity with which you got that right, I've never experienced before. You heard the plastic bin even.
ANNA: Yes.
MOLLY BLOOM: Incredible. Do you always get the mystery sound right. Are you really good at this?
ANNA: No, all the years I've been listening to Brains On, I only got it a couple of times.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, my gosh. Well, today is the day.
ANNA: Yes.
MOLLY BLOOM: It's so great.
[BOTTLES CLANKING]
Now it's time for the Brains Honor Roll. These are the incredible kids who keep the show going with their questions, ideas, mystery sounds, drawings, and high fives.
[LISTING HONOR ROLL]
SPEAKER (SINGING): Brains On! High five.
MOLLY BLOOM: We'll be back next week with our last episode of the season, a super special Halloween-y episode all about vampires.
ANNA: Thanks for listening.
CHILD: Brains On! is supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
ANNA: Hey, Molly.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, hi, Anna. I-- huh-- ugh!
ANNA: What's wrong?
MOLLY BLOOM: I keep feeling like I'm about to sneeze, but it just won't come out. I really shouldn't have skipped through that dandelion field earlier or stuck my head underneath my dusty bed or sniffed all that black pepper. [SNIFFLES] Do you ever feel like you really have to sneeze, but for some reason, you just can't?
ANNA: Oh, yeah, I hate that.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, here it comes. Huh-- ugh, nuts!
MARC SANCHEZ: [WHISTLING]
Hey there, Anna. Hi, Molly.
ANNA: Hi, Marc.
MOLLY BLOOM: You're in a pretty chipper mood today, Marc. What's going on?
MARC SANCHEZ: Well, as I'm sure you know, I've been getting into model-making, and this weekend, I've finally finished my masterpiece.
[TRUMPET FANFARE]
It's a 1:74th scale replica of Old Ironsides, the ship also known as the USS Constitution.
MOLLY BLOOM: That's-- ha-- ha-- um, amazing, Marc.
ANNA: What's it made out of? It's gray and fluffy.
MARC SANCHEZ: That's the best part. I make all my models out of things I find around the house. This one's made of dust bunnies--
MOLLY BLOOM: Huh?
MARC SANCHEZ: --pet hair--
MOLLY BLOOM: Huh?
MARC SANCHEZ: --and dryer lint.
MOLLY BLOOM: [SNEEZES]
ANNA: Gesundheit, Molly, you finally got your sneeze out.
MARC SANCHEZ: My model!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MOLLY BLOOM: You're listening to Brains On from APM Studios. I'm Molly Bloom, and my co-host today is Anna from Sharpsburg, Georgia. Hey, Anna.
ANNA: Hi, Molly.
MOLLY BLOOM: Today we're talking sneezes. Anna, have you ever felt like you had to sneeze really bad, but it just won't come out?
ANNA: Yes, it's a horrible feeling.
MOLLY BLOOM: It really is. So what things do you find make you sneeze?
ANNA: Stuff that I'm allergic to and when I have a cold.
MOLLY BLOOM: Yeah, I'm allergic to a bunch of stuff. What are you allergic to?
ANNA: Pollen, grass, plants, mold.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, my gosh, we're allergic to the same stuff. Our sneezes are like twin sisters. It's very cute. So are you a person who sneezes in multiples? Like, you have a sneezing fit, and every time you sneeze, it just happens a bunch of times?
ANNA: Sometimes. When it's allergy season, yes. But other times, I just sneeze, and then I'm just done sneezing.
MOLLY BLOOM: Totally. My dad is a person who always sneezes. He cannot sneeze only once. He always sneezes more than once. And one time, my daughter and I counted how many sneezes he did, he had 27 sneezes.
ANNA: Wow.
MOLLY BLOOM: It was so many, he just could not stop. So do you know anyone who sneezes really loud or has a fun sneeze?
ANNA: I know two people that can sneeze really loud, my dad and my grandpa. They sneeze really loudly.
MOLLY BLOOM: Does it surprise you when it happens?
ANNA: Yes, because I'm just doing something. And it just makes me jump because it's so loud.
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS]
One of my good friends has the cutest little sneeze. She sneezes like this, she goes, (HIGH-PITCHED VOICE) achoo! And that's her sneeze. And my sneeze is not as cute at all. I'm always like, wow, you sound like a little bunny. It's so cute.
SPEAKER (SINGING): Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba Brains On!
MOLLY BLOOM: Today's episode was inspired by a question that you sent to us, Anna.
ANNA: I wanted to know how fast we sneeze. How many miles per hour is my sneeze going?
MOLLY BLOOM: This is such a great question, and I'm wondering what made you think of it.
ANNA: I was sneezing, and it seemed super fast. And you can't count it, like a blink. So I wanted to know how fast it was.
MOLLY BLOOM: Very good thinking. Well, before we answer your question, let's talk about what a sneeze is.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
It starts, unsurprisingly, in your nostrils.
ANNA: Those are the two holes in your nose that you breathe through. Inside your nostrils are tiny little hairs called cilia.
MOLLY BLOOM: Yeah, if you've never noticed these, go look up your nose in a mirror. It's a hairy wonderland in there. These hairs are super sensitive to things that aren't supposed to be in your nose, stuff like dust or dirt.
ANNA: Or things people are allergic to, like pollen from flowers or fur from your pets.
MOLLY BLOOM: Right. When this stuff gets in your nose, it tickles the little hairs, which sends a message to your brain to sneeze it out.
ANNA: A sneeze is a reflex, like when a doctor taps your knee and your leg moves by itself.
MOLLY BLOOM: And once a sneeze starts, there's usually no stopping it.
ANNA: When your brain tells your nose to sneeze, it affects all different parts of your body.
MOLLY BLOOM: Your eyes shut. Your tongue moves the top of your mouth. And muscles in your chest and stomach tighten, causing you to breathe in really deeply. After your lungs fill up with enough air, they let it all out at once really fast, a sneeze.
[MAN SNEEZES]
ANNA: A few different things can come out when you sneeze, big drops of snot and mucus in a cloud of smaller drops.
MOLLY BLOOM: And even though you can't see it, the sneeze cloud can hang out in the air for a long time. It's often full of germs that can make someone else sick. So it's important to always cover your mouth when you sneeze to stop those germs from shooting out into the air.
MARC SANCHEZ: Hey, Anna. Hi, Molly. [SNEEZES]
ANNA: Nice job covering your nose and mouth, Marc.
MARC SANCHEZ: [SNIFFLES]
Ugh, got to keep these pesky little germies from flying around.
MOLLY BLOOM: Marc, I am so sorry I sneezed all over your dust bunny-dryer lint-pet hair model.
MARC SANCHEZ: It's OK. I can always remake it. But all the dust and pet hair and dryer lint in the air has been making me sneeze.
[SNIFFLES]
Ugh, I just came in here to grab some tissues.
ANNA: Hang on, that gives me an idea. We're trying to figure out how fast sneezes travel.
MARC SANCHEZ: And?
[SNEEZES]
ANNA: What if we look inside Marc's nose and get up close and personal with the real sneeze?
MARC SANCHEZ: [SNIFFLES]
Ugh! Uh, that's a-- ah-- ah--
[SNEEZES]
That's a great idea.
MOLLY BLOOM: Ooh, a sniffer safari, a nose-ploration. We can use the zoom ray. It lets us zoom in on small things so we can watch them up close.
MAN: Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom--
[CROWD CHEERING]
ANNA: So this is Marc's nose?
MOLLY BLOOM: It's not actually as hairy as I would have thought.
ANNA: Whoa, check out that big crowd of boogers.
MOLLY BLOOM: And they're cheering for something?
ANNOUNCER: Loogies and gentle-phlegm, boogs and germs, gather round. Today we witness an event the likes of which have never been seen in these nostrils, an attempt to break the sneeze speed record.
[CROWD CHEERING]
ANNA: Looks like we came at the right time.
ANNOUNCER: Here to attempt this daring feat is someone you all know and love. He's a mean green mucus machine, the bravest booger this side of the septum, you know him, you love him. Make some noise for Snot Rocket.
[CHEERING]
MOLLY BLOOM: What do you know, a daredevil booger.
SNOT ROCKET: What up, my nose goblins? Who's ready to see some serious speed?
[CHEERING]
Now remember, I'm a trained professional. Whatever you do, don't try this at home. I don't have to remind you all what happened to the last booger that tried this stunt, Sneezel Knievel.
[SAD TRUMPET]
ANNOUNCER: I will now initiate the sneeze. Ready, set--
ANNA: We'd better get our stopwatches out.
ANNOUNCER: Release the dust bunnies!
SNOT ROCKET: Ah-- ah--
[SNEEZES]
[CHEERING]
ANNA: Whoa, that was super fast. By my stopwatch, he clocked in at over 40 miles an hour.
MOLLY BLOOM: That's like the top speed of a racehorse.
ANNA: Wow, that's a lot faster than I would have thought.
MOLLY BLOOM: Let's zoom out and get Marc some tissues.
SPEAKER: Zoom!
ANNA: That was an epic sneeze, Marc.
MARC SANCHEZ: Thanks.
[BLOWS NOSE]
MOLLY BLOOM: Did you have a daredevil boogie in your nose, and it shot out at 40 miles per hour when you sneezed?
MARC SANCHEZ: Wow, that is fast. Nah, I guess that's why you'd say my nose is running. Get it? Running! I crack myself up. [CHUCKLES]
MOLLY BLOOM: There's a lot more to learn about sneezes, snot, and what's in them. But first, it's time for the--
SPEAKER: Shh.
CHILD (WHISPERING): Mystery sound.
MOLLY BLOOM: Are you ready for the mystery sound, Anna?
ANNA: Yes.
MOLLY BLOOM: Here it is.
[BOTTLES CLANKING]
Hmm, what do you think?
ANNA: It sounds like glass bottles.
MOLLY BLOOM: Yes, it does. Excellent ears. Let's hear it one more time and see if anything else pops up.
[BOTTLES CLANKING]
What do you think?
ANNA: Yeah, it sounds like something that's glass falling into a plastic trash can or something.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oof, I love the specificity. Excellent guess. Well, we will hear it again. Get another chance to guess and hear the answer after the credits.
ANNA: So stick around.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MOLLY BLOOM: Here at Brains On, we love art, drawings of noses, paintings of daredevil boogers, you name it.
ANNA: And we want to see what you make.
MOLLY BLOOM: Yes, send us your art.
ANNA: Share your work with us at branson.org/contact.
MOLLY BLOOM: While you're there, you can send us your mystery sounds and questions, too.
ANNA: Like this one.
CHILD: How are computers programmed to understand ones and zeros?
MOLLY BLOOM: You can find answers to questions like these on the Moment of Um podcast. Again, that's brainson.org.
ANNA: So keep listening.
SPEAKER: Brains On! Universe is a family of podcasts for kids and their adults. Since you're a fan of Brains On, we know you'll love the other shows in our universe. Come on, let's explore.
[WHIRRING]
ROBOT 1: Here we are in Brains On! Universe, [ZAP] home to my favorite podcasts.
[BEEP]
ROBOT 2: Brains On!
[BEEP]
Smash Boom Best.
[BEEP] Forever Ago.
ROBOT 1: [GASPS]
I found one. Forever Ago, the history show hosted by Joy Dolo.
[CLASSICAL MUSIC]
JOY DOLO: It was the early 1800s, Beethoven was busy composing new symphonies, steam-powered trains were brand new inventions, and a British naturalist named William Swainson was exploring the jungles of Bri--
ROBOT 1: [GASPS]
What a great show. Need more Forever Ago now!
SPEAKER: Listen to Forever Ago, wherever you get your podcasts.
SPEAKER (ROBOTIC VOICE): Brains On! On, on, on.
ANNA: You're listening to Brains On! I'm Anna.
MOLLY BLOOM: And I'm Molly. And today we're talking all about sneezes, snot, and boogers.
ANNA: Sneezing helps our noses get rid of stuff that's not supposed to be in there, like dust, dirt, or pollen.
MOLLY BLOOM: We don't have any control over when we sneeze. And a sneeze uses all different muscles in your chest, stomach, and head.
ANNA: Our sneezes can be full of germs that can make people sick, so it's important to cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze.
MOLLY BLOOM: And we just learned that sneezes can shoot droplets of snot and mucus at speeds of over 40 miles per hour.
ANNA: Each sneeze is like a snowflake, unique, beautiful, wet.
MOLLY BLOOM: We asked you to send in your best sneeze recordings, and your responses were snot bad.
GABRIEL: Hello, my name is Gabriel. I'm going to do my sneezing.
[SNEEZES]
I call it the Snore.
LENNON: My name is Lennon. My sneeze is named Achoo-nicorn because it's like this, a-chooo!
SAWYER: Hello, my name is Sawyer, and I'm from Rhinebeck, New York. This would be my sneeze.
[SNEEZES]
And it would be called the Big Bang.
SAMUEL: Hi, my name is Samuel. My sneeze is a supernova. And it sounds like this. Hoo!
MADELEINE: Hi, I'm Madeleine. And my sneeze idea is--
[HIGH-PITCHED SNEEZE]
I want to call it the bunny suit.
JAMES: I'm James, and my sneeze idea is uh-- uh-- I don't know. And I'm going to call it the I-Don't-Know sneeze.
- Hi, I'm Evelyn from Columbus, Ohio, and this is my sneeze. Aah-choo! It's a grandpa sneeze. It's how my grandpa sneezes.
MOLLY BLOOM: Thanks to Gabriel, Lennon, Sawyer, Samuel, Madeleine, James, and Evelyn for sharing your sneezes with us. So, Anna, if you had to create a sneeze and give it a name, what would it be?
ANNA: I think it would sound like a train, and I'd probably call it a Large Train of Snot.
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS]
I love it. Can you give an example of what that sneeze might sound like?
ANNA: Choo-choo, choo-choo, choo-choo.
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHING]
Brilliant, so good.
SPEAKER: Brains On!
MOLLY BLOOM: So like we mentioned, there's all different stuff in our sneezes, from big drops of snot to clouds of little drops that hang around in the air. But we haven't talked about my favorite thing, nasal mucus.
ANNA: Your favorite?
MOLLY BLOOM: Nasal mucus is very, very, very cool. But don't take my word for it. Just watch this commercial.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
SPEAKER: Sometimes air is cold. Sometimes it's dry. No one wants to breathe that kind of air. Make the smart choice and shut your mouth
CROWD: Say what?
SPEAKER: Shut your mouth and breathe through your nose. Nasal mucus will take care of it.
CROWD: Nasal mucus.
SPEAKER: Take a deep breath in through your nose.
[INHALES]
By the time the air reaches the back of your nose, it's nice and wet, thanks to your nasal mucus. This moist goo is made right in your nose.
CROWD: Nasal mucus.
SPEAKER: But wait, there's more. Your nasal mucus keeps you healthy. It can trap bacteria, viruses, and other stuff you don't want in your body. And it has special germ-fighting chemicals to help neutralize those nasty bugs.
CROWD: Nasal mucus.
SPEAKER: Plus, the nasal mucus in your nose is part of a sophisticated self-cleaning system. Inside your nose are tiny microscopic hairs. These mini hairs are constantly sweeping your nasal mucus out of your nose. It cleans itself out every 20 minutes.
CROWD: Where does it go?
SPEAKER: You swallow it. Most people swallow somewhere between four and eight cups of nasal mucus every day.
CROWD: Nasal mucus.
SPEAKER: Don't worry. It's all part of your elegant schnoz system. Your nasal mucus is almost all water, so it's perfectly safe to swallow.
CROWD: Thanks, nasal mucus.
ANNA: I agree. Nasal mucus is pretty nifty.
MOLLY BLOOM: Yes, we are very lucky to have special cells in our noses that make nasal mucus, which protects us and makes the air easier to breathe.
ANNA: Is nasal mucus the same as boogers?
MOLLY BLOOM: Ooh, good question. To help us answer this question and more, we have Dr. Andrew Redmann here from the University of Minnesota. He's an otolaryngologist, a.k.a. A professional snot sucker.
ANNA: Welcome, Andrew.
ANDREW REDMANN: Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.
ANNA: What exactly do you do?
ANDREW REDMANN: Well, I'm an otolaryngologist or most people will call us ENT doctors or ear, nose, and throat doctors. But I take care of kids who have issues with their ears, their noses, and their throats.
ANNA: Is it bad to pick your nose?
ANDREW REDMANN: Well, picking your nose, we know that it feels good to get those boogers out. But there's actually some downsides to it. The two in particular is that if you pick your nose, you can cause nosebleeds, and those can be uncomfortable.
A lot of us have had nosebleeds before, and it makes our parents really worried sometimes when we have nosebleeds. So picking your nose is actually one of the biggest things you can do to make your nose bleed. So we generally recommend that you don't do that.
The other thing is that your fingers are in all sorts of things all day, and they have a lot of bacteria on them often. So when doctors tell you to wash your hands, that's because your hands are touching everything, and they get bacteria on them. And if you pick your nose, you can get that bacteria from everywhere else and end up putting it in your nose. And it turns out your nose doesn't like it very much when you put bacteria there.
ANNA: Why do our noses produce more mucus when we're sick?
ANDREW REDMANN: Yeah, that's a great question. There's a couple of reasons. The first is that mucus or boogers, depending on what you want to call it, it actually is a protective mechanism for us. So it actually filters out things that come in through your nose like dust, bacteria, and allergens. If you're allergic to cats, cat hair can cause you to get allergies. And so your mucus actually filters that out.
But when you get sick, your body actually makes more mucus because it's trying to keep things out. When your immune system comes and it helps to fight whatever you're sick with, it'll actually-- I'm going to use the term poop out the bad stuff into your mucus so that your body can get rid of it by blowing their nose out. So that's why your body makes more mucus when you're sick.
ANNA: And I notice when you're sick, your mucus tends to be like in a greener shade. So what does the color of mucus mean?
ANDREW REDMANN: Yeah, so when you're not sick, mucus is generally pretty clear. But when you have a cold or a sinus infection or something like that, what happens is your body, the cells that come and help fight that infection will actually release these different proteins that turn your mucus different colors.
And actually, if you have chronic sinus infections, it can turn your mucus different colors longer term. The reason why your mucus turns colors, it's actually your body's fighting it and getting rid of bacteria and waste products into your mucus so that you can blow it out and get those boogers out.
ANNA: Is nasal mucus the same as boogers?
ANDREW REDMANN: Yeah, basically it is. Boogers is just what kids call it, and mucus is what boring adults call it.
MOLLY BLOOM: [CHUCKLES]
ANNA: How do people have nasal inflammation and nasal infections?
ANDREW REDMANN: Yeah, that's a great question, Anna. So your nose is actually designed for a couple things. It's designed for smell. So if you plug your nose, you can't smell very well. And it's also designed as a protective mechanism. So almost everything you breathe in will get filtered through your nose. Your nose just experiences all of these things from the outside world.
And when there's-- especially in the winter or if you're around a lot of people, there's just lots of viruses and bacteria going around. And your nose is usually the first part of your body that experiences what's going on. And so that's why your nose tends to get stuffed up and you tend to get sick a lot with your nose. Boogers are great, but not too many of them.
MOLLY BLOOM: So when you do have those too many boogers in your nose, we shouldn't be picking them. What should we do instead?
ANDREW REDMANN: Yeah, that's a great question. So you can blow them out. So using a tissue, blow those boogers out. That's perfectly fine to do. The other thing that can be really helpful is actually using-- if you're having a lot of trouble sleeping tonight, using a humidifier to help thin that out.
If you can-- if the mucus gets really thick or the boogers get really thick, having a humidifier or using a saltwater nose spray can thin them out and actually allow them to come out a lot easier. The other thing is that our bodies produce a lot of mucus, and most of the mucus you produce, you actually swallow without even knowing about it.
So everybody swallows a lot of boogers every day without even knowing about it. You can tell your mom that and say, Mom, you know what, you're swallowing boogers, too. It's just normal.
MOLLY BLOOM: [CHUCKLES]
Perfect.
ANNA: Thanks for answering our questions, Dr. Redmann.
ANDREW REDMANN: You're very welcome. I hope you guys have a great rest of the day.
MOLLY BLOOM: You, too. Thanks so much.
ANNA: Bye.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MOLLY BLOOM: A sneeze happens when something gets in your nose that the body doesn't want there, like pollen, dust, or pepper.
ANNA: It's a reflex. So once a sneeze is triggered, you can't really stop it.
MOLLY BLOOM: A sneeze can shoot out of your schnoz at a speed of up to 40 miles per hour.
ANNA: And it can leave a cloud of germs in the air, so always cover your mouth.
MOLLY BLOOM: Nasal mucus helps protect your nose and your body from germs and makes the air you breathe less dry. It's magical stuff. And leave it up there. Don't pick it out. Don't do it. That's it for this episode of Brains On!
ANNA: This episode was written by--
JESS MILLER: Jess Miller.
ANNA: --and--
MOLLY BLOOM: Molly Bloom.
ANNA: It was edited by--
MOLLY BLOOM: Shahla Farzan.
ANNA: --and--
SANDEN TOTTEN: Sanden Totten.
ANNA: Fact checking by--
ROSIE DUPONT: Rosie duPont.
MOLLY BLOOM: We had engineering help from Josh Savageau and Dave Wilson with sound design by--
RACHEL BREES: Rachel Brees.
MOLLY BLOOM: Original theme music by--
MARC SANCHEZ: Marc Sanchez.
ANNA: We had production help from the rest of the Brains On! Universe team.
MOLLY BLOOM: Anna Goldfield, Nico Gonzalez Whistler.
RUBY GUTHRIE: Ruby Guthrie.
LAUREN HUMPERT: Lauren Humpert.
JOSHUA RAY: Joshua Ray.
MARC SANCHEZ: Marc Sanchez.
CHARLOTTE TRAVER: Charlotte Traver.
MOLLY BLOOM: Anna Weggel.
ANNA: --and--
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Aron Woldeslassie.
MOLLY BLOOM: Beth Pearlman is our executive producer, and the executives in charge for APM Studios are Chandra Kavati and Joanne Griffith. Special thanks to Joy Dolo, Monique Nascimento, Ezra Zhang, Tim Piers, and Max.
ANNA: Brains On! is a non-profit public radio program.
MOLLY BLOOM: There are lots of ways to support the show. Subscribe to Brains On! Universe on YouTube, where you can watch animated versions of some of your favorite episodes or head to brainson.org.
ANNA: While you're there, you can send us mystery sounds, drawings, and questions.
MOLLY BLOOM: Anna, are you ready to hear that mystery sound again?
ANNA: Yes
MOLLY BLOOM: All right. Here it is.
[BOTTLES CLANKING]
New thoughts? Stick with the same guess. What are you thinking?
ANNA: I think I'm going to stick with the same thing. I can think of something, but I can't really put it into words. Like, it still sounds like glass bottles falling into something plastic.
MOLLY BLOOM: I love it. You have excellent ears. Would you like to hear the answer?
ANNA: Yes.
MOLLY BLOOM: Here it is.
MARGO: I'm Margo from Prairie Village, Kansas, and that was the sound of glass bottles being recycled into a recycling bin.
ANNA: Oh.
MOLLY BLOOM: Anna, incredible. The specificity with which you got that right, I've never experienced before. You heard the plastic bin even.
ANNA: Yes.
MOLLY BLOOM: Incredible. Do you always get the mystery sound right. Are you really good at this?
ANNA: No, all the years I've been listening to Brains On, I only got it a couple of times.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, my gosh. Well, today is the day.
ANNA: Yes.
MOLLY BLOOM: It's so great.
[BOTTLES CLANKING]
Now it's time for the Brains Honor Roll. These are the incredible kids who keep the show going with their questions, ideas, mystery sounds, drawings, and high fives.
[LISTING HONOR ROLL]
SPEAKER (SINGING): Brains On! High five.
MOLLY BLOOM: We'll be back next week with our last episode of the season, a super special Halloween-y episode all about vampires.
ANNA: Thanks for listening.
Transcription services provided by 3Play Media.
