Researchers have sequenced the genetic code of the common cold and realized that it's even more complex than originally thought.
And after mapping all 99 different rhinovirus strains, scientists now believe that we'll never find a vaccine for those sniffles and sneezes.
More specifically, the research shows that cold sufferers can actually catch two colds at once, which are then able to swap their traits while in your body to create an entirely new strain.
But biochemist Ann Palmenberg from the University of Wisconsin-Madison said that scientists may one day develop effective drugs to help get rid of the symptoms.
"No vaccine, but maybe a drug," Palmenberg said.
The reason, according to researchers, is that the exterior of the cold virus is so varied that creating a vaccine would be next to impossible. The exterior of the virus is the part that our immune system recognizes.
Still, the interior of the different strains are very similar, which makes scientists think that medications could be effective in the future.
Children often get 10 colds a year and adults typically come down with four bouts. While colds are seen are generally harmless, they can instigate pneumonia, ear infections and exacerbate asthma attacks.
And though colds are among the most common afflictions known to man, we still know very little about them.
In fact, it wasn't until two years ago that researchers learned of a third main grouping, called "Group C."
This third group is a virulent batch that often sets up camp deep in our lungs and wreaks havoc on our respiratory system, according to Palmenberg, who directed three teams who probed the world's oldest strains.
The researchers analyzed the Group A and Group B strains and then compared them to the younger, nastier Group C strains.
The journal Science posted the resulting family tree of the common cold online on Thursday. The researchers organized them into 15 separate branches.
Now, scientists will try and find commonalities in the viruses in the hopes of creating drugs to treat them.
