We learned in school that skin is the largest organ in the human body and a critical barrier between our bodies and the germ-riddled outside world.

We want healthy skin. Most of us have at least some

products around designed to take care of it. But there is a biological substance that covers about

200 times the surface area of our skin that we not only don't appreciate, but we find it sort of

revolting to consider, and that is mucus. Today, my friends, we're going to push past the gross out factor because not only is this stuff essential,

there is fascinating and emerging science to suggest it is a more complex and dynamic substance

than anybody realized before.

From KERA in Dallas, this is think. I'm Chris Boyd. Mucous turns out to be not just a physical

barrier, like a shirt that keeps us from getting sunburned, it is also a chemical one, like an

invisible sunscreen that filters out solar radiation. And the more they learn, the more scientists

think its remarkable properties could inspire some revolutionary

pharmaceutical breakthroughs. Grace Wade will be our guide on this inner body tour. She's a health

reporter at New Scientist, which published her article, Discovering the Marbles of Mucous

is inspiring amazing new medicines. Grace, welcome to think. Hi, thanks for having me. First off, we'll note this show

airs at midday in a lot of places, and I think we can safely promise this conversation will not be so

graphic that you can't eat your lunch as you listen. Did that surprise you going into this? Were you

concerned about squeamishness at all?

Actually, no, which is surprising.

I think for two reasons.

One, you know, I'm a health reporter, and I think, you know, a lot of things about the body are actually pretty gross, not just mucus.

And so I'm quite used to that.

But, too, I'm really squeamish about blood for some reason, but everything

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