logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2022
37m 51s

Why do bright lights make me sneeze?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

This week’s CrowdScience is dedicated to bodily fluids – and why humans spend so much time spraying them all over the place. From snot and vomit to sweat and sneezes, listeners have been positively drenching our inbox with queries. Now presenter Marnie Chesterton and a panel of unsqueamish expert guests prepare themselves to wade through…

One listener has found that as he ages, bright light seems to make him sneeze more and more – with his current record sitting at 14 sneezes in a row. He’d like to know if light has the same effect on other people and why?

Sticking with nasal fluids, another listener wants to know why she’s always reaching for a tissue to blow her endlessly dripping nose and yet her family seem to produce hardly any snot at all. Could it be because she moved from a hotter climate to a colder one?

CrowdScience reveals the answers to these and other sticky questions… if you can find the stomach to listen.

Produced by Melanie Brown Contributors: Jagdish Chaturvedi – ENT Surgeon Åsmund Eikenes – Author Prof. Lydia Bourouiba - Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT Rubiaya Hussain – PhD student, optics and photonics, ICFO

[Image: Woman sneezing. Credit: Getty Images]

Up next
Apr 17
Why does salt taste so good?
Salt can be found in almost every kitchen in the world. But how did this seemingly simple ingredient become the world's favourite flavour enhancer? This week, Crowdscience sets out to uncover why these tiny crystals have such a powerful effect on us. We explore the magic behind t ... Show More
26m 28s
Apr 10
When will the next super-volcano erupt?
Is the world sitting on a ticking time bomb? CrowdScience listener Christel recently watched a documentary about a volcanic eruption in 536 AD that left her native Sweden under a cloud of ash for three years. It got her thinking, do we know when this could happen again?With more ... Show More
29m 5s
Apr 3
Will rabbits become super predators?
Listener Bart in Australia sees invasive species in his area almost every day – rabbits, foxes, and cats. They were transplanted to Australia from Europe more than 100 years ago, but seem to be thriving in their new home. This got him wondering: how are they going to evolve, now ... Show More
26m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
BrainStuff Classics: How Can Sunlight Make You Sneeze?
Sudden exposure to bright light makes some people sneeze -- but why? Learn the leading theory in this episode of BrainStuff.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
4m 18s
Oct 2022
The suspicious smell
Why are some smells so nasty and others so pleasant? Rutherford and Fry inhale the science of scent in this stinker of an episode.Our sleuths kick off with a guided tour of the airborne molecules and chemical receptors that power the sense of smell. Armed with a stack of pungent ... Show More
28m 17s
Jun 2020
The Growling Stomach
"Why do our tummies rumble - and when they do, does it always mean we are hungry?" asks listener James, aged 12. For this series, with lockdown learning in mind, Drs Rutherford and Fry are investigating scientific mysteries for students of all ages. To get to the bottom of this n ... Show More
34m 43s
Jun 2024
Why do we sleep?
Guest presented by Liz Bonnin.We all instinctively know that sleep is incredibly important but science doesn’t actually have a satisfying answer for why we need to sleep. There are multiple theories, but now, new research from Imperial College London has suggested that the leadin ... Show More
28m 20s
Apr 2022
Why does rain smell?
<p><strong>#029 Rebroadcast</strong></p> <p>What's that smell? This week, Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of smell. Now a lot of smell science has to do with our physiology and neurology. We'll talk some about that, but the chemistry has to do with the actual smells in the ... Show More
35m 52s
May 2023
Some people get sick from VR. Why?
Another week comes by, and luckily so does our roundup of science news. This time, we've got some questions about better understanding our health: Why do some people get motion sickness from virtual reality (VR) content? Do we really need to walk 10,000 steps a day? And is there ... Show More
10m 20s
May 2022
The Indian subcontinent’s record-breaking heatwave
Deadly heat has been building over the Indian sub-continent for weeks and this week reached crisis levels. India experienced its hottest March on record and temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius (and in some places approaching 50 degrees) are making it almost impossible for 1.4 bi ... Show More
1h 5m
Feb 2023
The Mind Numbing Medicine
This episode will render you oblivious, conked out and blissfully unaware. It’s about anaesthetics: those potent potions that send you into a deep, deathly sleep. Listener Alicia wants to know how they work, so our sleuths call on the expertise of consultant anaesthetist Dr Fiona ... Show More
43m 44s