Can Penguins Catch Colds? Science Fiction

Welcome to Science Fiction, the show that explains

-all of life's curiosities...

-In under 2 minutes.

-What's up today, BUD E?

-Achoo!

This one comes from Harris in Paris. Can penguins catch colds?

Traditionally, people thought sniffles and head colds were caused by cold and wet weather.

But the common cold is actually something of a misnomer.

Miss Nomer, who's she?

The most common way a virus passes from one host to another

is when you inhale water droplets present in the air

after someone sneezes.

Achoo! Look, let's get back to the penguins for a minute.

I thought they'd be able to deal with the cold,

with all the feathers and the blubber and the huddling.

It's true that penguins are well adapted to the Antarctic climate.

But that has very little to do with the viruses that cause head colds.

OK, temperature, viruses, different things, right.

Viruses can sometimes jump between species,

but they usually have their favourites.

-So penguins would be more likely to get bird flu than say...

-Man flu?

EASTENDERS THEME TUNE PLAYS

So, Harris, although penguins are excellent at keeping warm in extremely cold conditions,

they are no less likely to catch a cold than anyone else.

Achoo!

So that's just a load of old science fiction. Achoo!

Has anyone got a box of tissues there?

-We are riddled with this cold.

-Achoo!

-Sorry, virus, virus.