According to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it is alarmingly easy to spread the influenza virus by simply breathing. Colorized transmission electron micrograph of negatively stained SW31 (swine strain) influenza virus particles. Image credit: NIAID / CC BY 2.0. People commonly believe that they can catch the flu by exposure to droplets from an infected person’s coughs or sneezes or by touching contaminated...