It would appear there’s a lot more we can discover about the way things happen as soon as we put a slow motion camera to work, and here’s the reason why we should cover our mouth when we sneeze – as this is one of the latest and best examples of the staggering reality of such a common act such as sneezing.

The act was studied by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) scientists in a laboratory on three different subjects. By making use of two high-speed cameras and having the subjects stand in front of a black backdrop while they were having a sneezy fit induced, the researchers captured some nearly frightening images. While we may have previously thought that only the really bad sneezes were the times when we would become like a human Mount Vesuvius, we couldn’t have been more mistaken.

While there is some variation, it would appear that every sneeze launches a cascade of fluid of similar amounts that flies out in the air, collapsing into droplets and spreading on a surprisingly wide range. The variation is caused by things such as saliva and respiratory tract fluids elasticity or volume.

After analyzing a little over 100 different sneezes and their patterns, it was observed that the previous belief regarding the act was wrong. While it was believed that the droplets of fluid are formed before they leave the respiratory tract, it turns out that the truth is the polar opposite.

When we sneeze, the expelled fluid comes out in the form of a balloon that progressively breaks down more and more into smaller fragments that manage to spread onto a very large area. This was a very important discovery for researchers as it can help them understand and map the spread of infections and diseases as well as sort out the individuals who are most prone to spreading viruses.

Lydia Bourouiba, the lead of the team in charge of this experiment and the person who runs MIT’s Fluid Dynamics of Disease Transmission Laboratory, discussed the effect of the new discoveries in addition to the research that was done back in 2014. According to that study, it was revealed that sneezing and coughing may result in a far wider spread than droplet expelling.

This study is an important step in the researcher’s attempt to understand and try to contain seasonal viruses that get spread through coughing and sneezing. Even if just a starting point, researchers could manage to measure, map and even simulate the effects and spread of virus contamination in order to build prevention strategies.

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