Sneezes spread farther than previously thought
APR 10, 2014
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.027833
Telegraph : The fluid dynamics involved in violent respiratory events such as coughs and sneezes were studied recently by researchers at MIT, whose paper appears in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics. To better understand the role played by pathogen-bearing mucus expelled during such events, the researchers used both theoretical modeling and high-speed imaging of people sneezing. What they found was that coughing and sneezing create a gas cloud, which allows the droplets to travel as much as 200 times farther than was previously thought. The findings are important in understanding the transmission of disease and how to prevent it.
© 2014 American Institute of Physics
