germs

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Blame Your Nose for That Winter Cold
Blame Your
Nose for That
Winter Cold
new study
Dec 6, 2022 10:45 AM CST

Blame Your Nose for That Winter Cold

Researchers discover colder temps reduce our nose's germ-fighting abilities

(Newser) - Conventional wisdom says that you're more likely to get a cold or flu in the winter. Now science backs that up. CNN reports on a "breakthrough" study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology that sheds light on the connection between colder temperatures and increased viral...

Don't Worry Too Much About Wearing Your Shoes Inside

'New York Times' talks to health experts who say the germ factor is relatively benign

(Newser) - A New York Times story tackles an interesting if low-grade health question: Should you take your shoes off before going inside? After talking to several scientists about the matter, the article by Christopher Mele comes to a general conclusion: If it's just a matter of health—that is, worry...

CDC to Army Lab: 'Cease and Desist' Studying Deadly Germs

Maryland's Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases temporarily shuttered over safety concerns

(Newser) - A "cease and desist" order from the Centers for Disease Control has been issued, a military biodefense lab has been shuttered, and "research is currently on hold" there, possibly for months. The issue: safety worries that cropped up over processes used to contain dozens of dangerous toxins and...

Fox Host: Yes, I Was Joking About My Hand-Washing

Pete Hegseth pokes fun at the outrage after he announced he hadn't washed hands in 10 years

(Newser) - If you're seeing a lot of tweets or headlines about hand-washing, the explanation lies with Fox News host Pete Hegseth. He set off a social media flurry when he told his co-hosts, "My 2019 resolution is to say things on-air that I say off-air: I don't think...

Those Airport Security Trays Harbor a Lot of Cold Germs

New study says airport security trays are biggest airport risk for respiratory virus germs

(Newser) - You probably wash your hands after using the airport bathroom—but what about after going through the security line? You might want to start, because a new study from the UK's University of Nottingham and the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare found that those trays you put...

Is This a Good Idea? Cancer Researcher Says Yes

A genetic mutation also plays a role

(Newser) - Is your child’s environment as sterile as an operating room? That might not be a good thing, a leading cancer researcher says in a new report. After three decades of research, Mel Greaves , from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, believes that acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is caused...

Yep, Blowing Out Birthday Candles Is Actually Gross

How many germs are spread depends a lot on the person

(Newser) - Let's get one thing out of the way: Our mouths are positively brimming with bacteria. But as gross as that may seem to some, the vast majority of those bacteria are benign. Still, it may be hard for some to swallow the latest news that blowing out candles on...

It's a Little Gross, but Snot Is Also Crucial

When healthy, we produce half a cup a day

(Newser) - There's a lot of snot oozing out of people's nostrils this time of year, but did you know we produce half a cup a day just when we are healthy, and unwittingly swallow almost all of it? PBS Digital Studios has published two "gross science" videos on...

How Your Dog's Germs Might Be Keeping You Healthy

Researchers want to lend you a pooch to find out

(Newser) - How is a dog like a cup of yogurt? Well, canines might also have a "probiotic effect" on humans, researcher Kim Kelly explains in a post from the University of Arizona . Science suggests owning a dog can be healthy—for instance, kids in families with dogs generally have lower...

Meet the Germs in Your Local Public Restroom

Even shortly after it's cleaned

(Newser) - Warning: Some readers may find the following information disturbing ... or at least pretty gross. Researchers studying public restrooms found that just an hour after bathrooms were sterilized with bleach solution, they were once again packed with various microbes, NPR reports. In a study over the course of a few months,...

Air Around Hand Dryers Is Pretty Germy

27 times more bacteria found in air around jet-air dryers than around paper towels

(Newser) - Given the choice between noisy hand dryers and tree-felling paper towels, dryers are the better option, right? Maybe not, at least when it comes to your health. A University of Leeds study finds hand dryers, especially "jet-air" models, can actually spread germs around a public bathroom. To simulate what...

Germ-Ridden Doorknob Can Infect Building in Hours
Germ-Ridden Doorknob Can Infect Building in Hours
STUDY SAYS
Sep 11, 2014 9:59 AM CDT

Germ-Ridden Doorknob Can Infect Building in Hours

Virus quickly spread to more than half of one building's occupants

(Newser) - "The hand is quicker than the sneeze in the spread of disease," warns the lead author of a study that found a single germ-laden doorknob can spread a virus throughout a building in the space of hours. University of Arizona researcher Charles Gerba's team placed a harmless...

Our Germs Go Where We Go, Even When We Move
Moving? Your Germ
Universe Will Follow
study says
Aug 29, 2014 6:07 AM CDT

Moving? Your Germ Universe Will Follow

A new study finds it takes about a day for our bacteria to colonize a new place

(Newser) - It doesn't matter how much we scrub—our bodies are home to trillions of bacteria. And a new study finds that they travel with us: Even when we move to a new location, they colonize those surfaces within about a day, reports WebMD . But the vast majority that comprise...

Why Fist Bumps Trump Handshakes
Why Fist Bumps
Trump Handshakes
Jul 29, 2014 1:39 AM CDT

Why Fist Bumps Trump Handshakes

Handshakes spread 20 times more germs, study says

(Newser) - A good, firm handshake is a great way to spread germs, according to researchers who say infections could be reduced if people adopted fist bumps instead. The researchers dipped gloved hands in bacteria and then shook hands with, high-fived, or fist-bumped sterile-gloved counterparts, the Los Angeles Times reports. They found...

It's Time to Quit Hand Sanitizer

 It's Time to 
 Quit Hand 
 Sanitizer 
OPINION
May 13, 2014 12:19 PM CDT

It's Time to Quit Hand Sanitizer

Bill Saporito aims to end his addiction

(Newser) - Whether you're in an office building or on the subway, chances are a bottle of hand sanitizer is close by—and that used to suit Bill Saporito just fine. He underwent chemotherapy several years ago and had to avoid getting sick, and the resulting "germanoia" led to hand-sanitizer...

Antibiotic-Resistant Infections Kill 23K a Year—at Least

CDC report sets baseline for first time

(Newser) - With antibiotic resistance building, experts fear a day when everyday bacterial infections could once again be life-threatening—and a new federal study shows "we're getting closer and closer to the cliff," says a CDC rep. Already, two million people each year suffer from antibiotic-resistant infections, and 23,...

Study Uncovers Gross Hand-Washing Stat

 Study Uncovers Gross 
 Hand-Washing Stat 
in case you missed it
Jun 15, 2013 7:00 PM CDT

Study Uncovers Gross Hand-Washing Stat

19 out of 20 of us are doing it wrong

(Newser) - Warning: After reading this, you may never want to shake hands again. Following a trip to the toilet, some 95% of people don't wash their hands properly—meaning long enough actually eliminate bacteria, a study finds. Some commit worse hygiene sins: a third don't use soap, and a...

Want Health? Feed the Bacteria Living Inside You

Antibiotics, processed foods aren't helping

(Newser) - Don't look now, but roughly 100 trillion bacteria live in and on your body. According to scientists, these microbes—especially the ones in your gut—may be fending off chronic diseases, moderating your weight, and strengthening your immune system. But our society's processed foods and war on bacteria...

Your Smartphone Is Really Disgusting
 Your Smartphone 
 Is Really Disgusting 
in case you missed it
Oct 27, 2012 12:58 PM CDT

Your Smartphone Is Really Disgusting

And its bacteria could give you a cold, pinkeye, or diarrhea

(Newser) - Bad news for tech-loving germaphobes: Your smartphone, with its cozy warm screen and constant access to your face, is a paradise for bacteria that can make you sick, reports the Wall Street Journal . It doesn't help that we take them with us everywhere, and that most phone cleaners are...

Five-Second Rule Pretty Much Bogus

 Five-Second Rule 
 Pretty Much Bogus 
Study Says
Oct 18, 2012 9:59 AM CDT

Five-Second Rule Pretty Much Bogus

Study indicates that germs are faster than that

(Newser) - If you were laboring under the delusion that the "five-second rule" had any basis in scientific fact, well, keep dreaming. Germs latch onto food a lot faster than that, according to a new San Diego State University study co-funded by the cleanly folks at Clorox. Researchers dropped baby carrots...

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