Share it! Science : virus
Showing posts with label virus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label virus. Show all posts

Listen to Your Mother!


     Don't run with scissors. Wait 40 minutes before swimming after you eat. If you don't dress properly outdoors you'll catch a cold. Chew your food 24 times before swallowing. Moms are full of advice, most of which has been handed down from their mothers. Although it is often good advice, seldom is it scientifically sound. A recent study, however, gives some credence to the idea that staying out in cold temperatures can make you sick. Although through the years many have argued against this morsel of advice, scientists have found that the rhinovirus, or the common cold, reproduces more quickly in colder temperatures.
      It has been understood for a while that the common cold replicates itself better in the cooler temperatures of the nose than the warmer temperatures of the lungs. Researchers at Yale studied how this fact is related to our immune response against the virus. They compared the immune response to the cold virus in mice at 37 degrees Celsius (regular body temperature) to the immune response in mice at 33 degrees Celsius. They found that the immune response was not as effective at the cooler temperatures. They also discovered that the temperature is what made the difference in how the immune system behaved, not the virus itself. Although this study was carried out using the immune response of mice, it is very likely that the principles apply to humans as well. This research not only backs your mom's advice up, but also could give way to understanding how cold temperatures can affect children with asthma.
Rhinovirus (Wikimedia Commons)
      At any given time approximately 20% of us are carrying the common cold around in our noses. This time of year is often when it causes us the most trouble. Some good advice that the CDC, doctors and mothers would agree on is to wash your hands often with soap and water, try not to touch your eyes, mouth and nose when your hands are not clean and steer clear of those who are sick. Do us all a favor and take a sick day if you need to, this may be easier said than done for some, but it makes a big difference!
      Another bit of new advice doctors might give is to give and receive more hugs. Yes, that's right, another recent study published in Psychological Science indicated that people who have more social support and receive more hugs as a result are less likely to catch the common cold! Additionally, the researchers found that people who already had a cold and had this increased level of support and hugs had less severe symptoms. This research is so new it might be too early to resolve the discrepancy between the advice to steer clear of sick people and the notion that they need more hugs, nonetheless, some thought provoking information! New words to live by for a healthy winter: Give hugs, wash your hands, cover your nose in the cold. I think moms everywhere would approve.

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What is a Virus Anyway?

     This time of year, in this year especially, there is a lot of buzz and fear over viruses. Ebola  and Enterovirus D68 have been particularly newsworthy due to some tragic losses and some miraculous recoveries. I am not going to write about the politics or statistics of these viruses here, however, I would like to try to answer these questions: What is a virus anyway? How can we educate our children accurately without scaring them?
Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus
     We can trace our discovery of viruses back to 1898 when it was found that the cause of foot and mouth disease in lifestock was something even smaller than bacteria. Although we did not have a clear indication of what that meant yet, it was the first evidence that illness could be caused by something else. Viruses, although unwanted in many cases, are truly brilliant. Outside of a host they are enclosed in a membrane, protein coat or capsid that encases the DNA and RNA that codes for their particular strain of virus. They depend on a host to reproduce, so once they have traveled through some vector (air, water, bodily fluids) they reach the cells of the host. Once in the host cell the virus inserts its DNA into the cell, which essentially takes over the cell and the virus uses the cell's abilities for itself. The cell begins to produce more of the virus rather than complete its normal tasks. Eventually, the viral material bursts from the cell and continues to find new cells to infect. Viral diseases come in many forms and use many vectors to travel. Ebola is an example of a virus that is not airborne, it travels through contact with bodily fluids. Enterovirus D68 on the other hand is one that is spread through the air when someone sneezes or coughs. There are thousands of viruses ranging from the common cold, to chicken pox, to AIDS. 


     So how do we teach about viruses? In general, I believe that if kids learn about good hygiene, what a virus is, how their body fights disease and how grown-ups are working hard to keep them healthy, then we have done our job. It also doesn't hurt to keep exposure to the news media at a minimum since kids interpret what they hear in many different ways. There are many good resources to teach kids about health and their body. One of my favorites to use with my students is www.kidshealth.org. There are many interactives, articles and videos here to help understand their body and health. They also keep up to date with current health issues and write about them in an accurate and age appropriate way, such as this recent article on Ebola.  Another good resource is NSF International's "Scrub Club" website. This site is full of cartoons, games and other fun resources to teach about germs and sanitation. Excellent resources for older students and adults are: The Encyclopedia of Life, The Big Picture Book of Viruses  and Cells Alive! There have also been several interesting blog posts by Travis Good about innovations to help reign in Ebola in a series entitled: "Makers Against Ebola". This is part of a larger design challenge called "Fighting Ebola: A Grand Challenge for Development" by Open IDEO,  which is a community for designers and makers for social good. Sounds like a great prompt for some innovation or engineering projects at school or home!
     How do you teach your kids or students about health and viruses? If you know of a great resource please add it in the comment section! 

Resources for Kids and Adults about Health and Viruses: 


Introduction to Viruses










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