Viral Push And Pull

The mayor of Boston has declared a state of emergency because of the flu epidemic, I think mainly because he likes to declare states of emergency. As a result, I learned an interesting fact on the news: flu virus doesn't like humidity.

I had always wondered why people are more prone to colds in the winter. I've heard unsatisfying layman's explanations of people being shut in close quarters or having depressed immune systems because of the darkness, but being a hermit shouldn't make one more prone to contagion, and I haven't noticed more colds among the habitually nocturnal. But winter is dry! Winter is very dry. And it seems that many viruses, in contrast to most bacteria, dislike humidity.

How very interesting!