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It's the flu season and do you ever wonder how the virus spreads? Well a group of scientists in Singapore are trying to find that out through an interesting experiment. Here's more.

This man is putting pepper up his nose. Why? So he can sneeze. He's a volunteer in a study being conducted by scientists in Singapore who want to establish how influenza viruses are transmitted through the air.

Key to their experiments are a specialized mirror and a high-speed camera which together can record density variations in gases - ideal for watching a sneeze in action.

Virologist Dr. Julian Tang says the experiments could lead to new information to help doctors deal more effectively with viral outbreaks like the swine flu pandemic of 2009.

[Dr. Julian Tang, Virologist, National University Hospital]:
"Because during SARS and H5N1 and H1N1 pandemic, there was a lot of concern about coughing, sneezing, and whether we've wear masks, different types of masks, etc. But we realize that there's not basic knowledge, no basic information about how normal exhale flows actually have the potential to transmit infection."

According to the Centers for Disease Control, influenza is primarily transmitted from person to person through sneezing or coughing, but little is known about how far a virus can travel through the air or whether it can be transmitted by other means, laughing or crying perhaps or simply, breathing.

Dr. Tang is looking for solid scientific data.

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This study won't stop until June 2012. Dr Tang hopes that by then, he'll have enough data to answer some important questions. How much distance should separate patients in a hospital? Who and how many passengers on an aircraft should be quarantined? How better can facemasks be used?

For Dr. Julian Tang, it is likely to take a great deal more coughing and sneezing to find out.