Boogerpedia

This is a booger:

Technically, she’s a metaphorical booger and not a real one.

What’s a real booger, then? Curious reader, I’m so glad you asked!

Boogers are, at their core, no more than dried up mucus. These little dried snot-balls are the end-result of an incredible, sophisticated process that happens inside your nose.

Mucus, our central hero, is slimy and wet. This makes it perfect for trapping dust and dirt particles, along with other tiny things like harmful bacteria or viruses and allergy-causing pollen that are floating in the air. That’s the main reason for its existence, and I’m very grateful for snot.

Mucus also continually helps prevent the inside of your nose from drying out. This doesn’t just help you stay comfortable, but it also prevents irritation and damage that could easily lead to an infection where raw tissue meets the air.

Fortunately for us, tiny hairs in your nose (cilia) gradually move the mucus around in there in both directions, keeping our nostrils coated. The…