The Science of Snot

To celebrate joining PBS Digital Studios, Reactions teamed up with Gross Science to create a pair of videos explaining the science of snot. Reactions covers what different colors of mucus could mean, and Gross Science host Anna Rothschild explains how it is produced in the body and why.

It's peak cold and flu season, and mucus is making many of our lives miserable. But despite being a little icky, phlegm gets a bad rap. This germ-fighting goo contains cells and chemical compounds that help us power through a cold. You can also think of mucus as a traffic light for your health - what turns up in our used tissues can be a useful clue about the inner workings of our immune systems.

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