Scientists have discovered a previously unrecognized way that human airways protect lungs from infection—through the action of cilia, tiny hair-like structures lining the respiratory tract.

Cilia — tiny hair-like organelles attached to the cell surface — are located on most polarized cells and have been adapted as versatile tools for various cellular functions. Several molecular ...

That lack of cilia could help the virus invade the lungs and cause severe COVID-19, says Lisa Chakrabarti, a viral immunologist at the Pasteur Institute in Paris (SN: 6/11/20).