Slow Motion Sneezing

January 26, 2013 8:22 AM

Sneezing in Slow Motion; somehow simultaneously more fascinating, terrifying, and disgusting than you'd imagine it'd be.

Curtesy of the South Australian Health's youtube channel

Some fun light reading:

“Gesundheit!” Sneezing, Common Colds, Allergies, and Staphylococcus aureus Dispersion
Background: Staphylococcus aureus is among the most important pathogens in today’s hospital setting
Methods: The effects of sneezing on the airborne dispersal of S. aureus and other bacteria were assessed in 11 healthy nasal S. aureus carriers with experimentally induced rhinovirus colds. Airborne dispersal was studied by volumetric air sampling in 2 chamber sessions with and without histamine-induced sneezing. After 2 days of preexposure measurements, volunteers were inoculated with a rhinovirus and monitored for 14 days. Daily quantitative nasal- and skin-culture samples for bacteria and nasal-culture samples for rhinovirus were obtained, cold symptoms were assessed, and volunteer activities were recorded during sessions
Results: All participants developed a cold. Sneezing caused a 4.7-fold increase in the airborne dispersal of S. aureus a 1.4-fold increase in coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), and a 3.9-fold increase in other bacteria (P<>Conclusion: Nasal S. aureus carriers disperse a significant amount of S. aureus into the air by sneezing. Experimental colds do not alter bacterial dispersal, but respiratory allergies multiply the effect of dispersing S. aureus

posted by Blasdelb (27 comments total)

God, that was gross. I was expecting sort of a big spray, like out of Windex bottle, and while there was that, there was a lot of straight up slimy snot. I would like to unsee this.
posted by shoesietart at 8:39 AM on January 26, 2013 [1 favorite]

The Windex-esque spray is there too if you look closely, its just harder to see.

I guess also easier to unsee.
posted by Blasdelb at 8:46 AM on January 26, 2013

NOPE NOPE NOPE
posted by blue_beetle at 8:49 AM on January 26, 2013 [3 favorites]

I believe that visible snotspray to be fake. Pixels, etc.
posted by ook at 8:53 AM on January 26, 2013

I like to imagine a room full of well dressed actors in business suits, while mean filmmakers shake black pepper over their heads to induce this many sneezes.
posted by ChuraChura at 9:05 AM on January 26, 2013 [2 favorites]

Here are some slow motion sneezes on Myth Busters. Significantly more "plume of mist" and less "fountains of snot."
posted by slkinsey at 9:23 AM on January 26, 2013 [1 favorite]

Am I the only one that saw the pre-sneeze face and thought sex face?
posted by SweetTeaAndABiscuit at 9:46 AM on January 26, 2013 [10 favorites]

sweettea, ever since I was 14 years old I considered sneezing a nasal orgasm. Sneezing and orgasms have very similar neural dynamics.
posted by spacediver at 10:08 AM on January 26, 2013

2 nostrils, 1 glup.
posted by dhartung at 10:10 AM on January 26, 2013

Slow down the spread of flu, by using a damn tissue next time.
Also, never once have I had snot come out forcefully when I sneeze.
posted by greta simone at 10:11 AM on January 26, 2013

I showed this to my wife, the infectious disease public health doctor and she immediately said "I'll bet this is an Australian PSA, they always do stuff like this."
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 10:19 AM on January 26, 2013 [4 favorites]

Also, never once have I had snot come out forcefully when I sneeze.

You, madam, have been doing it wrong. Keep your mouth closed next time. Unimaginable nasal satisfaction awaits you.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 10:23 AM on January 26, 2013 [1 favorite]

If you look closely in the mucus you can see an eagle grabbing a baby.
posted by starman at 10:27 AM on January 26, 2013 [5 favorites]

Am I the only one that saw the pre-sneeze face and thought sex face?

Me too. In the beginning it all could be misconstrued as pretty hot. After 0:55, it snot.
posted by hanoixan at 10:27 AM on January 26, 2013 [6 favorites]

I have had sneeze-snot happen; one particular memory stands out. I sneezed a ... lifeform ... of boogerous variety onto the pages of my Earth Science textbook in ninth grade. I had nothing but notebook paper to clean it up with.
I told my Dad about it when I got home, and he told me I should have just shut the book.
I became nauseated at least three times while writing this.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 10:36 AM on January 26, 2013

I knew how gross this was because I watched the music video for EXID - Every Night. Bioterrorism + innuendo + revenge.
posted by subdee at 10:38 AM on January 26, 2013

Sex face/sneeze face: maybe they didn't have to sprinkle pepper on the subjects.
posted by ctmf at 10:57 AM on January 26, 2013 [1 favorite]

Disgusting. I'm totally going to catch flu and then I'll get it shot.
posted by hat_eater at 11:28 AM on January 26, 2013

Yeah I saw the Mythbusters test of this too, and it didn't look like this.
posted by Brocktoon at 11:53 AM on January 26, 2013

yes this looks a little CGI-ish but I have launched snot rockets that could knock you down like a cannon ball.
posted by roger ackroyd at 12:20 PM on January 26, 2013

What most surprised me was the fact that their lips looked like they were blowing raspberries. Such vibratey-ness!
posted by fancyoats at 12:41 PM on January 26, 2013 [2 favorites]

I, too, was thinking Rule #34.

Hot or snot?
posted by chavenet at 1:38 PM on January 26, 2013

Wow. Lots of flying spittle.

(yeah, eponysterical, ok)
posted by notsnot at 2:11 PM on January 26, 2013

"fountains of snot."

Worst. Indie band. Ever.
posted by zippy at 2:33 PM on January 26, 2013 [1 favorite]

Am I the only one that saw the pre-sneeze face and thought sex face?

I think there were a bunch of "Sneeze or Sex Face?" bits a few years ago. Yes, they look the same.
posted by bongo_x at 4:25 PM on January 26, 2013

I made it half way through, and had a "why am I watching this?" moment I am happy that I came to my senses before anything liquid happened. weird thing about me: I can't sneeze properly. I somehow trained myself as a kid to redirect my sneezes out of my mouth, instead of through the nose. I have a lot of allergies, and so sneeze a lot. I wasn't well liked at the grade school I went to, and those kids were pretty vicious! They had already nicknamed me "ugly" and another girl "snot rag" There were never any kleenex in the classrom, so I changed the way I sneezed in hopes of avoiding any further nasty names. The way I sneeze now is less messy, but I do wonder if someday I'll have a sneeze so forceful that I'll blow the top of my head off!
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 7:08 PM on January 26, 2013

Well, I can't say you didn't warn us about that video, but EW.
posted by spindrifter at 8:09 AM on January 28, 2013