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Woman sneezing
CREDIT: MATT MEADOWS, PETER ARNOLD INC./SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
MODEL RELEASED. Sneeze. A jet of droplets erupts from a woman’s nose and mouth. The sneeze reflex is usually triggered by irritation of the nasal lining (although it can occur in response to bright light, touching a cold surface with the foot, or numerous other stimuli). The ejection of fluid helps to cleanse the respiratory tract of dust filtered out of the air or mucus produced in response to infection. The reflex is exploited by the cold virus, which uses sneezing as a means of spreading from one person to the next.
