BIOLOGY BASICS

Why do our bodies do that? This week: Cough unexpectedly COUGHING clears the upper airways of obstacles such as mucus or food — it’s a vital reflex, because of the obvious risk of a blockage, or of an infection that can cause inflammation or pneumonia. As Dr Adam Taylor, a senior lecturer in anatomy at Lancaster University, explains: ‘Involuntary coughing is a protective reflex, which is triggered when tiny nerve fibres in the windpipe detect the presence of something that should not be there.

‘This irritation makes the muscles of your chest contract to force air out of the lungs at speed and clear whatever is in the throat.’