THAT'S THE WHY:It might not be top of your list of questions in life, but perhaps you have pondered it in a quiet moment.
Why do our noses get clogged with such ghastly secretions? Or to put it more bluntly: why do we need snot?
The sticky gunk that clogs up your nose in excess is basically mucus, which contains water, cells, carbohydrates, salts and proteins.
Goblet cells in the lining of your nose secrete mucus as a protective mechanism to trap foreign entrants such as bacteria, dust and pollen as they come in through your nostrils.
Then the ensnared bugs and irritants get swooshed out again when you sneeze or blow your nose (as I’m sure you don’t pick it).
To help quell any trouble that might be brewing, specialised immune system cells in your body also try to kill pathogens in the nose, and among their weaponry are proteins that can break down cellular structures.
One of these bug-busting protein complexes contains a form of iron that reflects green light, explains Glenn Murphy in his entertaining book Why is Snot Green?, and that lends the resulting goo in your nostrils its sometimes green hue.
As for why children and people in traffic jams find snot in all its forms shapes and colours so absorbing – that’s a whole other question.
