Can Penguins Catch Colds?

0:00:04 > 0:00:07Welcome to Science Fiction, the show that explains

0:00:07 > 0:00:09- all of life's curiosities... - In under 2 minutes.

0:00:09 > 0:00:14- What's up today, BUD E? - Achoo!

0:00:14 > 0:00:18This one comes from Harris in Paris. Can penguins catch colds?

0:00:18 > 0:00:23Traditionally, people thought sniffles and head colds were caused by cold and wet weather.

0:00:23 > 0:00:26But the common cold is actually something of a misnomer.

0:00:26 > 0:00:27Miss Nomer, who's she?

0:00:29 > 0:00:32The most common way a virus passes from one host to another

0:00:32 > 0:00:35is when you inhale water droplets present in the air

0:00:35 > 0:00:36after someone sneezes.

0:00:36 > 0:00:39Achoo! Look, let's get back to the penguins for a minute.

0:00:39 > 0:00:42I thought they'd be able to deal with the cold,

0:00:42 > 0:00:45with all the feathers and the blubber and the huddling.

0:00:45 > 0:00:48It's true that penguins are well adapted to the Antarctic climate.

0:00:48 > 0:00:52But that has very little to do with the viruses that cause head colds.

0:00:52 > 0:00:56OK, temperature, viruses, different things, right.

0:00:56 > 0:00:58Viruses can sometimes jump between species,

0:00:58 > 0:01:01but they usually have their favourites.

0:01:01 > 0:01:06- So penguins would be more likely to get bird flu than say...- Man flu?

0:01:06 > 0:01:08EASTENDERS THEME TUNE PLAYS

0:01:08 > 0:01:13So, Harris, although penguins are excellent at keeping warm in extremely cold conditions,

0:01:13 > 0:01:18they are no less likely to catch a cold than anyone else.

0:01:18 > 0:01:20Achoo!

0:01:20 > 0:01:24So that's just a load of old science fiction. Achoo!

0:01:27 > 0:01:30Has anyone got a box of tissues there?

0:01:30 > 0:01:33- We are riddled with this cold. - Achoo!- Sorry, virus, virus.