I have often been asked this question by parents... and even more so by my wife as we try to clean the snot off our little kids' noses as they shriek as if we're torturing them. Given it seems ALL young kids have this nose-wiping aversion across cultures and racial ethnicities, it would seem that this reflex reaction is hard-wired into human babies. But why would evolution favor this reaction? I tried to find an answer to this question to see if any bright researchers actually stu…
British researchers are at it again! The British Society for Immunology have developed a recipe to make your very own authentic-appearing snot of various colors of tan thru green. Of course, you can make your own the natural way, but here's a more sanitary way with kitchen supplies. You need: 1 tbsp Gelatine powder 1 tbsp Hot water 2 tbsp Sugar syrup (corn syrup or golden syrup) Food colouring A plastic container/bag Paint brush or dropper To make your own snot: 1) In a…
Most everybody does it whether they admit it or not, both in kids and adults . In fact, according to one research survey , people do it about 4 times a day. In 7.6%, they do it >20 times a day! Nose-picking, also known as rhinotillexomania in medical-speak, generally is a benign, sedentary (and private) solo activity, but when excessive, can lead to a number of medical problems including nosebleeds (25% of nose-pickers), septal perforation, staph infections , etc. In one extreme case , i…
No kidding... There was a paper that came out describing how to collect whale snot using a remote controlled helicopter. BTW... this research was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize in Engineering 2010. Which gives me an idea... perhaps I'll write up a paper (or even make a video) on how to effectively remove boogers/snot in humans! Reference: A Novel Non-Invasive Tool for Disease Surveillance of Free-Ranging Whales and Its Relevance to Conservation Programs. Animal Conservation, vol. 13,…
In celebration for Halloween today, I have found a few crazy pumpkin carvings courtesy of Extreme Pumpkins . Here is the one that I carved, complete with snotty tissues: If you have another relevant one, please comment and include a link to a picture. Enjoy!