A picture of snot

 This photo appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. Yes! It’s snot! Of course, the NEJM calls it “nasal mucus.” To get a photo like this, you must let the mucus dry then use “phase-contrast microscopy at high magnification” to take the picture. The pattern is called “ferning,” which simply means that the design is fern-like.

Mucus is mostly water, plus electrolytes, “mucin glycoproteins,” fats, and some other proteins. Apparently, if you’ve got allergies or a cold or similar nasal problem, the ferning doesn’t look so nice. Our nasal mucus is an important part of the defense mechanism in our airways, so be glad you have it, even if isn’t so pretty.

I think the photo is rather comforting. It makes it seem like we live in an ordered universe, right down to our snot.

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