Why does dust make us sneeze?

09/26/24 • 4 min

1 Listener

There are lots of reasons to sneeze - you have a cold, you get a whiff of pepper or someone tickles your nose with a feather! But why is it that dust makes us sneeze? We asked otolaryngologist Laura Orvidas to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s gathering dust in your brain? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you sniff out the answer.

Got a question that’s gathering dust in your brain? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you sniff out the answer.

Previous Episode

Do all rocks have iron in them?

Iron is a metal that we dig out of the ground and use to make everything from kitchen knives to skyscrapers. Most of the iron we use comes out of rocks. But do all rocks have iron in them? We asked geochemist Kelsey Woody to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s totally metal? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help iron out the answer!

Next Episode

Is there sound in the universe?

Our world is full of sound, but what happens when we leave Earth’s atmosphere? Is it true that there’s no sound in space, or are there ways to listen to the universe? We asked NASA scientist Dr. Kimberly Arcand to help us find the answer.

Got a question that sounds interesting? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll make space for an answer!