Allergies explained using cookies and candy

Just in time for Spring, ScienceGoddess, aka Joanne Manaster, explains the cellular reactions that cause allergies. Her illustrations: candy (looks like Skittles or M&Ms) and a lovely cookie basophil made by food blogger Notsohumblepie. This video ends on something of a cliffhanger, so if you want to watch the next one, it's all about eosinophils.

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Maggie Koerth-Baker is the science editor at BoingBoing.net. She writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine and is the author of Before the Lights Go Out, a book about electricity, infrastructure, and the future of energy. You can find Maggie on Twitter and Facebook.

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lava

and that’s why cromolyn sodium is the best allergy relief medicine — it binds to the “Y” receptors shown above and stabilize the cell so it does not burst releasing the histamines and anaphylactic. You take it in a nose spray, its over the counter, and it rarely has side effects. But people hooked on Clariten and other side effect ridden allergy drugs never believe it..
weatherman

Using cookies and candy is completely pointless pandering; the edibles in no way illustrate the science here – they might as well have been marbles or colored bits of paper. A clever teacher would have figured out some material that was both engaging and provided insight in to the properties of cells or allergens or their interaction.

Don’t get me wrong; I appreciate it when teachers try to “engage young scientists” but that takes a little more work than just using candy.
Grant Hamilton

Thank god she was wearing rubber gloves while handling those snacks…
Anonymous

Omg all I could think about was eating that awesome blue cookie.
Then I learned about allergies!