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Dr. D said that he would meet us here. He's been to some pretty weird places, but this

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really takes the cake. Look at that nose. Gross. Dr. D?

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Yes? Katherine and I just talked to Dr. Zilliax.

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She told us that the body has a number of ways of protecting itself from infection,

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but we need to know some other ways the body defends itself.

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Well, you're in the right place. This grossology exhibit here at the Virginia Marine Science

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Museum is a perfect spot to investigate some of the gross ways the body protects itself,

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like snot and vomit. What does vomit have to do with protecting

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your body? I think I know. If you eat something that might

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harm the body, then the body gets rid of it as fast as possible.

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Very good. Poisons, bacteria, and viruses can upset the stomach and cause an uptuck.

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Well, here's some vomit right here. You're kidding.

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Well, it's just fake vomit. In fact, it's edible.

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Gross. Kids, don't try this at home.

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Real vomit is a combination of food, stomach acid, mucus, and other stuff. Let's talk about

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mucus. You mean what we call snot?

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That's right. Mucus is a slimy liquid that traps microbes, along with dust and other

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foreign particles. I read on a website that body fluids like

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mucus, saliva, and tears contain enzymes that kill bacteria.

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That's right. These fluids are found in the nose, eyes, and mouth, which are the easiest

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places for microbes to enter the body. Do you know that you swallow about a quart

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of snot every day? Did you have to tell us that?

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Sometimes mucus, or snot, traps invading microbes like bacteria, viruses, and fungus

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spores. Little hairs called cilia then push the snot

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toward the back of the nose and into the throat, where you swallow it.

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What ends up in the stomach, stomach acid, kills a lot of the dangerous microbes.

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We have acid in our stomach? Yes, we do. Hydrochloric acid. It's not only

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deadly to certain microbes, it also aids in digestion.

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It's pretty strong stuff. Watch as this acid dissolves this piece of

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zinc. So why doesn't our stomach get dissolved?

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The stomach also creates that magic stuff called mucus.

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This ton of mucus is a protective coating for the stomach.

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There's some mucus right here. Please tell me that's fake mucus.

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Okay, I admit it is. It's made of corn syrup and gelatin, but it

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has a lot of the same characteristics and ingredients of real mucus.

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I hate to ask, but what are some other ways the body defends itself?

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Something as simple as a sneeze can expel infected mucus from the nose at a speed of

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up to 100 miles an hour. Wow, that's fast. I guess a cough does the

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same thing. Yes, it does, but a cough is expelling particles

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of micro-blade mucus out of the throat and lungs.

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We learned at the Centers for Disease Control that coughing is also a way to spread diseases.

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One more example. What do you know about sweat?

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We learned in school that it helps to cool the body when you get overheated.

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Very good. Did you also know that it provides food for bacteria and fungi that live on the

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surface of the skin? I don't want bacteria living on my skin.

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Mr. Frank told us about good bacteria. Is that what you're talking about?

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Indeed. This good bacteria munches on sweat and oil on the skin and produces acidic waste

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products. These acids make it difficult for invading harmful bacteria to survive on the

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skin. So bacteria is part of the immune system.

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Yes, it acts as a barrier to harmful bacteria. It's a good thing the body has lots of ways

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of defending itself. I think we have a new hypothesis. If Jacob

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stays away from people who are sick and strengthens his immune system with rest, good nutrition

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and exercise, then I'll stay healthy. Thanks, Dr. D.

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You're welcome. Enjoy the exhibit.