Pulmonary ionocytes were only discovered in 2018! These rare airway cells move salt and water to help keep the mucus in your airways runny.
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Pulmonary ionocytes live in the lining of your airways, between mucus makers and hairy cleaning cells. They are very rare, so for a long time nobody noticed them.
Their surface is full of tiny channels, like little doors. Salt and water can pass through them.
Two teams of scientists found these cells in 2018. People have studied lungs for hundreds of years, and there are still new cells to discover!
Your airways are coated in mucus that traps dust and germs. Tiny hairs sweep it away. But that only works if the mucus is runny, not thick and gluey.
Scientists think ionocytes help by moving salt in and out with their channels. Water follows the salt, which keeps the mucus watery enough to be swept along.
Sprinkle a little salt on a slice of cucumber and wait 10 minutes. Little drops of water appear! Water follows salt, just like in your airways.