Seriouslt what is a boogar? is there a proper name for boogar? where does it come from the name and substane? why does we have them? are they bad for us? why do we have it?
2006-06-12 15:15:07 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Other - Health
Hey, get your finger outta there! Instead of picking them out, let's learn about those little blobs. Yeah, we're talking about boogers.
To understand what boogers are, you need to know about mucus (say: myoo-kus). Mucus is the sticky, slimy stuff that's made inside your nose. If you're like lot of kids, you have another name for nose mucus: snot. Your nose makes about a cupful (about 237 milliliters) of snot every day.
Mucus has a pretty important job - it protects the lungs. When you breathe in air through your nose, it contains lots of tiny things, like dust, dirt, germs, and pollen. If these made it all the way to the lungs, the lungs could get irritated or infected, making it be tough to breathe. Luckily, snot helps trap this stuff, keeping it in the nose and out of the lungs.
After this stuff gets stuck inside the nose, the mucus surrounds it and some of the tiny hairs inside the nose called cilia (say: sih-lee-uh). These hairs help move the mucus and the trapped stuff toward the front of the nose or the back of the throat. When the mucus, dirt and other debris dry and clump together, you're left with a booger. Boogers can be squishy and slimy or tough and crumbly. Everybody gets them, so they're not a big deal. In fact, boogers are a sign that your nose is working the way it should!
If you have to get rid of boogers, your best bet is to blow 'em out of your nose and into a tissue. Picking your nose isn't a great idea because boogers contain lots of germs and because poking around in your nose can make it bleed.
2006-06-12 15:20:17 · answer #1 · answered by captures_sunsets 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Re: get your finger out of there - to the other expert...
Not so clear that you should keep it out: there is a retrograde neural pathway leading to the olfactory bulb. Stimulation from picking could induce neurogenesis, as these cells are constantly shed and have to be replaced. On the other hand, you might tax the local stem cell niche. But then again, given that the niche may have 40 generations, it might be ok to use it up as in a decade we may have non-immunogenic cell replacement schemes worked out. To pick or not to pick, that is the question..
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2006-06-12 23:25:27 · answer #2 · answered by hallitubevolunteer1 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Something from the nose.
2006-06-12 22:19:36 · answer #3 · answered by Judas Rabbi 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋