A new study by MIT researchers have found that liquid droplets and vapors from cough or sneeze act more like a multiphase tumultuous buoyant cloud that can spread disease-causing germs to wider area than previously thought.

According to the new research, the liquid droplets and vapors expelled during cough or sneeze can travel up to eight feet. Previously studies had concluded that mucus could only float up to two feet, while larger droplets travel farthest owing to their larger mass.

The research also found that coughs and sneezes led to creation of gas clouds that float 5-200 times beyond the individual droplets that were previously thought to fall in groups.

Prof. John Bush, of applied mathematics at MIT, said, "When you cough or sneeze, you see the droplets, or feel them if someone sneezes on you. But you don't see the cloud, the invisible gas phase."

Researchers also found that there is a circulation within the cloud, and that basically, larger drops fall out early, while smaller drops cover a great distance by means of this gas cloud.

The main objective behind the study was to better understand how germs pathogens spread, particularly among people indoors. The researchers stressed that the best way to prevent the pathogens from spreading far and wide is to block mouth and nose with a handkerchief during the expulsion.

The findings of the research appeared in the April 8-edition of the Journal of Fluid Mechanics.