Hall of Human Life Menu
More Information

Where does the data come from? How do I use it?

Wristbands with unique ID numbers are distributed to each visitor inside the Hall of Human Life. These wristbands allow visitors to scan into each Link Station activity to anonymously log and compare their data with others. The data and graphs are accessible both in the exhibit and right here, online!

To view your data online, type in the eight digit number located directly below the barcode on your wristband. Have multiple IDs? Separate them by commas to view their data all at once! (example: 0000000, 1111111, 2222222)

  • Five Environments
  • Model Organisms
  • Exploration Hub
  • Provocative Questions
  • Human Body Theater
  • Living Laboratory
  • Five Environments
  • Model Organisms
  • Exploration Hub
  • Provocative Questions
  • Human Body Theater
  • Living Laboratory
  • View Your Data

Jump to navigation

Why is your body overreacting?

  • Intro Images: 
    Pollen
    Photo Credit: 
     

What factors predict whether a person develops allergies?

This is one of fifteen interactive Link Station activities. Try it out in the Hall of Human Life, then view and compare your data here. Do you have allergies? Do you think parents, siblings, or the environment affect whether we develop allergies? Answer questions to explore the trends.

Overview

This overview shows how visitors answered the allergy question. The vertical axis shows if each visitor has allergies or not. Each dot represents a visitor’s response. Do you think parents, siblings, or the environment affect whether we develop allergies? Your response is the red dot. This graph also shows the responses of 150 other museum visitors.

Pages

  • Overview
  • Parents
  • Environment
  • Siblings

During the attack

Whether it is a mild rash, a sneeze, or a scary, full-body shock, an allergic reaction is your body trying to protect itself. Your immune system is helpful when it is fighting things that can hurt you, but when it reacts to substances that would not normally hurt you, it causes an allergic reaction. Common allergens include foods, plants, and animal dander, but you can be allergic to anything your immune system does not recognize.

Growing allergy problem

Scientists do not know exactly why allergies are on the rise, but they are exploring many different hypotheses. Exposure to fewer microbes when we are young may limit the development of our immune systems. Another theory is concerned about an increase in pollutants and pollen in the air. These irritants can damage the body’s protective mucus membranes and may leave us exposed to more allergens. Are we developing more allergies because we are exposed to fewer pathogens than our ancestors were?

Museum of Science, Boston 1996–2019 © All rights reserved