Who knows what happens in the nose?

Today’s topic is related to the question in the last post. Even before the innate immune system kicks in, your body is protected from marauding bugs by your epithelial surfaces. Those include your skin and the linings of your respiratory, digestive, and urinogenital tracts. Epithelial cells are big, immobile cells that are tightly connected to their neighbors, making them excellent barriers. We also refer to some of our epithelial surfaces as mucosal surfaces. Mucus is also key to today’s post.

Thus, I present to you: snot.

We typically refer to nasal mucus as snot. It’s produced by epithelial cells in the nose, and acts as a kind of fly paper to catch pathogens, allergens, and air impurities that you breathe in. When a danger signal is detected, neutrophils (a type of innate immune cell) are called to fight your infection. The neutrophils are also killed in this process, releasing iron into your mucus and turning it green.

I won’t go into anymore detail here. This information comes from the British Society for Immunology’s Secret Life of Snot, and you should check out their page for more snot facts. They’ve also got a recipe for making your own snot that doesn’t involve introducing any pathogens into your airways, and lots more information about a range of immunology topics.

The major goal of this blog is to reach out to the public to answer questions about immunology and build interest in science. In March 2014, I pursued that same goal by volunteering with the British Society for Immunology (BSI) at the Big Bang Fair. The Big Bang Fair was an outstanding opportunity to talk to school kids, teachers, and parents about science that is relevant to our everyday lives. Absolutely check out a Big Bang Fair event if it’s in your neighborhood.

Feel free to share information about any science events you’ve attended, or that may be coming up, in the comments!

Some pertinent details about Your Immunology

A little bit about me

My name is Amanda. I’m an American immunologist living and working in the UK. I’ve been studying science since I was 12. I wanted to be a scientist since I extracted DNA and spooled it onto a glass rod in biology class. I’ve loved to write since primary school, but that went on a distant backburner when I went to college and focused on my biology degree. After my BSc, I completed a PhD in immunology and I’m currently doing postdoctoral research. I love science more than ever, but I’m not sure I’ll always be a researcher.

Which is to say…

I know a fair bit about immunology. I love thinking and talking about science, but I miss writing. Despite recent improvements, I think scientists fail to engage with their communities often enough or in the right way. I want to communicate with people who identify as non-scientists, but are still curious about science.

What you can expect

My area of expertise is a sliver of a piece of a slice of science- I am a T cell and thymus biologist. So, I’m going to talk about basic immunological concepts and on-going research. I want to tell you the things I think are fascinating about how your body tries to stay well and regain health after sickness or injury. I’ll also write a bit about the life of a scientist.

 

Our sliver of a piece of a slice

A few notes about the structure of the blog

Many posts will be accompanied by my illustrations. This is because scientists love schematics and diagrams. If you pick up an article written for a scientific audience, you’ll find similar (ahem, but perhaps more professional) illustrations.

Acronyms and abbreviations are an immunologist’s best friends. It’s inevitable that I’ll reference something that you’re not familiar with and I’ve failed to explain adequately. Call me out on those occasions. It’s easy to forget what a non-specialist won’t be familiar with.

Why I think you might care

Immunology answered a lot of questions about health and disease that I’ve had over the years, and I think it can do the same for many of you. I don’t think anyone should be excluded from understanding how the body or the immune system works, even if it’s been a long time since your last biology class. It won’t always be simple and straightforward to understand the concepts, but I’ll do my best to make it worthwhile. I hope you’ll read along and find some interesting, useful information.