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A study published in 2022 found a tenuous but plausible link between picking your nose and an increased risk of developing dementia.

In cases where picking at your nose causes internal tissue damage, critical species of bacteria have a clearer path to the brain, which responds to their presence in ways that resemble signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

There are numerous caveats here, not the least of which is that the supporting research so far is in mice rather than humans, but the findings are definitely worth further investigation – and could improve our understanding of how Alzheimer’s disease starts, which remains something of a mystery.

Related: Simple New Compound Reverses Alzheimer’s Symptoms in Rats

A team of researchers led by scientists from Griffith University in Australia ran tests with a bacterium called Chlamydia pneumoniae, which can infect humans and cause pneumonia.

C. pneumoniae has also been discovered in the majority of human brains affected by late-onset dementia.

The video below has a summary of the study’s findings:

It was demonstrated that in mice, the bacteria could travel up the olfactory nerve (joining the nasal cavity and the brain).

What’s more, when there was damage to the nasal epithelium (the thin tissue along the roof of the nasal cavity), nerve infections got worse.

This led to the mouse brains depositing more of the amyloid-beta protein – a protein that is released in response to infections.

Plaques (or clumps) of this protein are also found in significant concentrations in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

“We’re the first to show that Chlamydia pneumoniae can go directly up the nose and into the brain where it can set off pathologies that look like Alzheimer’s disease,” said neuroscientist James St John from Griffith University in Australia, when the study was published in October 2022.

“We saw this happen in a mouse model, and the evidence is potentially scary for humans as well.”

The scientists were surprised by the speed at which C. pneumoniae took hold in the central nervous system of the mice, with infection happening within 24 to 72 hours. It’s thought that bacteria and viruses see the nose as a quick route to the brain.

While it’s not certain that the effects will be the same in humans, or even that amyloid-beta plaques are a cause of Alzheimer’s, it’s nevertheless important to follow up promising leads in the fight to understand this common neurodegenerative condition.

“We need to do this study in humans and confirm whether the same pathway operates in the same way,” said St John.

“It’s research that has been proposed by many people, but not yet completed. What we do know is that these same bacteria are present in humans, but we haven’t worked out how they get there.”

Related: Nasal Spray May Slow Alzheimer’s Disease, Study in Mice Suggests

Nose picking isn’t exactly a rare thing. In fact, it’s possible as many as 9 out of 10 people do it… not to mention a bunch of other species (some a little more adept than others).

While the benefits aren’t clear, studies like this one should give us pause before picking.

Future studies into the same processes in humans are planned – but until then, St John and his colleagues suggest that picking your nose and plucking your nose hair is “not a good idea” because of the potential damage it does to protective nose tissue.

“We don’t want to damage the inside of our nose and picking and plucking can do that,” warned St John.

“If you damage the lining of the nose, you can increase how many bacteria can go up into your brain.”

One outstanding question that the team will be looking to answer is whether or not the increased amyloid-beta protein deposits are a natural, healthy immune response that can be reversed when the infection is fought off.

A 2024 review further advanced the hypothesis that nose picking could play a role in increasing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease – revealing more about how the process could unfold.

Related: The Cause of Alzheimer’s May Be Coming From Within Your Mouth

Alzheimer’s is an incredibly complicated disease, as is clear from the sheer number of studies into it and the many different angles scientists are taking in trying to understand it – but each piece of research brings us a little bit closer to finding a way to stop it.

“Once you get over 65 years old, your risk factor goes right up, but we’re looking at other causes as well, because it’s not just age – it is environmental exposure as well,” said St John.

“And we think that bacteria and viruses are critical.”

The research was published in Scientific Reports.

An earlier version of this article was published in November 2022.

Related News

Dec 24, 2025The Hacker NewsPassword Management / Access Control

Every year, cybercriminals find new ways to steal money and data from businesses. Breaching a business network, extracting sensitive data, and selling it on the dark web has become a reliable payday.

But in 2025, the data breaches that affected small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) challenged our perceived wisdom about exactly which types of businesses cybercriminals are targeting.

This article will outline the learnings from key data breaches in 2025 as well as the most effective ways for SMBs to protect themselves in the coming year.

Examining the 2025 data breaches

Prior to 2025, large businesses were popular targets for hackers because of their large pools of resources. It was assumed that smaller businesses simply weren’t as vulnerable to cyberattacks because there was less value in attacking them.

But new security research from the Data Breach Observatory shows that’s changing: Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are now more likely to become a target. This change in tactic has been caused by large businesses investing in their cybersecurity and also refusing to pay ransoms. Cybercriminals are less likely to extract anything of value by attacking these businesses, so instead they’re turning to attacking smaller businesses.

While the payday may be smaller when attacking SMBs, by increasing the volume of attacks, cybercriminals can make up the shortfall. Smaller businesses have fewer resources to protect their networks and thus have become more reliable targets. Four in five small businesses have suffered a recent data breach.

• SMBs were the number one target for hackers in 2025, accounting for 70.5% of the data breaches identified in the Data Breach Observatory. This means that companies between 1 and 249 employees were the most vulnerable to cybersecurity breaches throughout the year.
• Retail, tech, and media/entertainment businesses were targeted most frequently.
• Names and contact information are the most common records to appear on the dark web, increasing the risk of phishing attacks targeting workers. Names and emails appeared in 9 out of 10 data breaches.

With these trends in mind, it’s likely that hackers will continue targeting SMBs in the new year. If your organization falls into this category, your risk of a data breach could be higher.

It’s not inevitable, however. By considering your business’s sensitive data, how it’s stored, and what you use to protect it, you can secure your organization.

How to avoid data breaches in 2026

Avoiding a data breach doesn’t have to be costly or complicated, as long as your business takes the right approach and finds the right tools.

Employ two-factor authentication

If all it takes to gain access to one of your business tools is a username and a password, your network is significantly easier to breach. Two-factor authentication (2FA) makes it harder for unauthorized individuals to gain access.

By introducing a secondary authentication method, such as an OTP code, security key, or biometric login, authentication and authorization take less time for your system, as well as increasing the barrier to entry.

Secure access control to your network

The principle of least privilege is a method used to decide who has access to what business tools and data. It dictates that any given team member should have access to strictly the necessary information they need to perform their role and nothing else. This approach to access control protects your organization by reducing the number of entry points into your network.

When access has been granted to strictly necessary team members, that access needs to be secured with good password hygiene. This includes creating strong passwords, not reusing passwords for multiple accounts, and ensuring that your business is notified if any of your data appears on the dark web. Strong and enforceable password policies support good password hygiene, and you can ensure that the dark web is regularly scanned for business data with a tool or service such as a password manager.

Store sensitive data securely

Leaked passwords and email addresses contribute to the risk that your employees will be targeted by phishing attacks or have their accounts compromised. Even a single compromised account can lead to a data breach.

Create a single, secure repository for every business credential by adopting a secure business password manager. With a password manager, every team member can safely generate strong passwords that meet your business’s password policy, autofill them on frequently visited websites and apps, and securely share credentials when needed. This secures all of these vital entry points into your business network.