New Research Explains Why Cold, Flu Viruses Are More Common in Winter

Apparently, there’s truth to the idea that we’re more susceptible to illness during the winter—but not because viruses themselves thrive in the cold. A group of medical researchers from Harvard Medical School, Northeastern University, and Cairo University has found that our immune systems are weakened by chilly temperatures. More specifically, a cold nose has drastic implications for our immune systems, reducing our bodies’ ability to fight disease by about half.

As their new paper for The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology notes, the nose and mouth are ground zero for most inhaled respiratory viruses. When humans inhale disease-causing viruses or bacteria, the front of the nose initiates an immune response, often before the back of the nose is even “aware” of the intrusion. This immune response involves the creation of extracellular vesicles (referred to as EVs), or fatty particles that can’t reproduce. EVs act as a sort of sacrificial lamb, allowing bacteria and viruses to attach to themselves via mucus so the disease (hopefully) won’t reach its target tissues and multiply.

EVs are highly effective. They’re 20 times “stickier” than the original cells that create them, which makes it easier for EVs to grab an unwelcome flu virus and expel it from the body. They also contain 13 times the amount of virus-killing micro RNA as their parent cells. Simply put, they’re good bodyguards.

But EVs, too, have their Achilles’ heel. When humans enter colder environments, the temperature inside their noses can drop by up to 9 degrees Fahrenheit. This doesn’t sound like a lot, but it has drastic implications for EV efficiency. A nine-degree temperature decrease cuts the body’s ability to produce EVs almost in half. The EVs the body does make are 70 percent less “sticky,” which means they aren’t as good at grabbing bacteria and viruses invading the body.

As much as some people won’t want to hear it, the study authors say their findings are all the more reason to wear facial coverings (the kind we got used to wearing in response to COVID-19) in public spaces during the winter. Not only will your nose be a bit more comfortable, but the warmth from your breath and the covering could help protect EV creation and functionality.

Continue reading

NASA Created a Collection of Spooky Space Sounds for Halloween

NASA's latest data release turns signals from beyond Earth into spooky sounds that are sure to send a chill up your spine.

How Apple Is Collecting Your Data in macOS Big Sur

Apple's new Big Sur has been accused of some serious privacy violations and unfriendly user-access controls. The situation is a bit more nuanced.

Famed Arecibo Observatory Collapses Following Cable Failures

The National Science Foundation (NSF) previously expressed concern this could happen, which is why it decided last month the dish would be demolished rather than repaired. Gravity took care of that a bit quicker than expected as the 900-ton suspended platform plummeted into the dish overnight, completely destroying the iconic instrument.

Asteroid Mission Successfully Collected Samples, Japan Confirms

Japan's Hayabusa2 mission wrapped up last week when the sample container parachuted down in Australia. The mission certainly looked like a success at every step along the way, but the true test is whether or not it collected the sample it flew out there to get.