Happy 92nd birthday to John Williams‚ the Academy Award-winning composer of some of the finest film scores in history‚ including Star Wars‚ Jaws‚ Raiders of the Lost Ark‚ E.T.‚ Home Alone‚ Jurassic Park‚ Schindler’s List‚ and Harry Potter. In fact‚ he has scored 9 of the 25 highest-grossing films in the U.S. Last year he […] The post Good News in History‚ February 8 appeared first on Good News Network.

Have you ever wanted to push your partner out of bed as their snoring was so loud that it seemed to rattle the windows? You are not alone‚ as a third of US-based people opt for a “sleep divorce” (sleeping in separate rooms at night)‚ partly thanks to snoring.Alongside relationship woes‚ snorers can experience physical complications‚ mental health issues‚ and greatly affected sleep quality. In 2017‚ “How to stop snoring?” was one of the most Googled health questions that year. Nor is it a new issue‚ as there’s evidence of snoring plaguing Ancient Egyptians‚ as one of their recommended “cures” was using thyme. Nowadays‚ we know more about the condition and have more solutions‚ rather than waving a stick of herbs in someone's face‚ as no one has thyme for that. What causes snoring?  Snoring is the gravelly noise produced when air flows past relaxed tissues in the throat‚ causing vibrations. When a person sleeps‚ the tissues in the nasal passage and back of the throat relax and can cause the tongue to collapse into the back of the throat‚ which triggers the airway to narrow‚ and creates turbulent air. A graphical representation of the mechanism’s behind snoring.Image courtesy of ZQuietThere are many different factors that can increase the risk of snoring‚ these include: tobacco use‚ age‚ weight‚ alcohol‚ gender‚ and sleep position. Ways to stop snoringIn the past‚ people have come up with horrific ways to stop themselves (or their partners) from snoring. One way that makes experts yell‚ “STOP‚ NO‚ PLEASE‚ NO!”‚ includes taping your mouth shut‚ as it can be dangerous if you have sleep apnea and there is very little evidence of it working. Other ways have a bit more scientific backing to them. Here are some (not all) of them: Different sleep positions: Sleeping on your back can cause snoring‚ as the tongue and soft palate can collapse. Simply switching to a side position or a specialized pillow can help.  Nasal strips‚ dilators‚ or sprays: Nasal congestion can be a cause of snoring. Strips‚ dilators‚ and sprays help open up the nasal passage‚ providing smoother airflow. Eliminate tobacco smoke: While the interaction between tobacco smoking and snoring is not clear‚ there is a correlation between the two and it is thought that irritation and inflammatory changes in the upper airway may cause snoring. Mandibular advancement devices (MAD): These are dental devices that fit inside the mouth and help to move the lower jaw and tongue forward‚ which makes more space to breathe and prevent snoring.Studies have shown that without a MAD device‚ the bed partners of the snorers noticed the loud rumble in 96 percent of cases‚ this went down to 2 percent when an anti-snoring mouthguard was used. Aside from helping people beat their snoring woes‚ MADs allow the airway to be more open‚ causing more oxygen intake and increasing the quality of sleep. There are many different types of MAD products‚ one of which is the ZQuiet. ZQuietZQuiet is an over-the-counter‚ dentist-designed‚ and FDA-cleared medical device that helps alleviate snoring. Unlike other MAD products‚ the open tray design means that there is no need for impressions‚ forming‚ molding‚ or boiling‚ which saves people time and the hassle of professional assistance. A graphical representation of the airway with the ZQuiet product.Image courtesy of ZQuietIt provides a resilient‚ hinged design‚ which allows the freedom to open and close the mouth‚ while ensuring that it is always in contact with the dentition. It has a thin profile and unrestrictive open front design‚ which contributes to an enhanced airflow for easier breathing. Snoring can cause strife in people’s relationships and lives. There are many over-the-counter solutions that you can try at home‚ including the ZQuiet. However‚ if you are concerned about snoring‚ or the more serious condition of obstructive sleep apnea‚ you should talk to your primary physician. To read more‚ click here.This article includes sponsored material. Read our transparency policy for more information.The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice‚ diagnosis‚ or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions. All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text‚ images‚ and links may be edited‚ removed‚ or added to at a later date to keep information current.

Engineers have developed a new lithium battery with better electrodes that could change charging speed significantly. Their new battery charges in under five minutes‚ which is faster than any current battery available on the market‚ particularly when it comes to electric vehicles’ batteries.The researchers looked at a system that had an asymmetry between charging and discharging. They needed them to charge very quickly while discharging very slowly. They looked at the rate at which chemical reactions occur compared to the rate of motion of certain chemicals to get to the reaction site.They found that indium was an interesting metal to employ in the battery. It moves pretty quickly but has slow surface reaction kinetics‚ so it can be charged pretty quickly and discharged slowly.  A great candidate.“Our goal was to create battery electrode designs that charge and discharge in ways that align with daily routine‚” lead author Shuo Jin‚ from Cornell University‚ said in a statement. “In practical terms‚ we desire our electronic devices to charge quickly and operate for extended periods. To achieve this‚ we have identified a unique indium anode material that can be effectively paired with various cathode materials to create a battery that charges rapidly and discharges slowly.”The battery is exciting‚ but not perfect. Indium is quite heavy‚ so that would affect where and how such batteries can be used. However‚ the researchers believe that there might exist alloys with similar advantageous properties as indium but without drawbacks – and those could be the batteries of the future.The development of such a battery would mean the ability of electrified transportation could be expanded‚ in terms of both “fuel stops” and distance traveled. That is often called range anxiety.“Range anxiety is a greater barrier to electrification in transportation than any of the other barriers‚ like cost and capability of batteries‚ and we have identified a pathway to eliminate it using rational electrode designs‚” added Professor Lynden Archer‚ who oversaw the project. “If you can charge an EV [electric vehicle] battery in five minutes‚ I mean‚ gosh‚ you don’t need to have a battery that’s big enough for a 300-mile [483-kilometer] range. You can settle for less‚ which could reduce the cost of EVs‚ enabling wider adoption.”A paper describing the breakthrough is published in the journal Joule.

Nobody likes being sprayed with toilet juice (we assume) – and yet every time we flush away our waste‚ those miracles of modern engineering suddenly turn into raging sewage volcanoes. “No problem‚” you might think‚ “my toilet comes with a fancy-pants lid‚ I can just close it!” Well‚ boy do we have bad news for you.“Closing toilet lids has no meaningful impact on preventing the spread of viral particles‚” said Charles Gerba‚ professor of virology at the University of Arizona and senior author of a recent study that measured the spread of viral particles by flushing a toilet.“Our study highlights the importance of regular disinfection of toilets to reduce contamination and prevent the spread of viruses‚” he said in a statement on the findings.That isn’t to say that closing your toilet lid while it flushes is a bad idea: multiple studies have shown that it’s good for containing the spread of bacterial pathogens‚ which tend to be bigger than their viral equivalents. Plus‚ you know‚ less poop and pee in the air is definitely a benefit.But when Gerba and colleagues seeded both public and home toilets with doses of a virus – the MS2 bacteriophage‚ a type of virus that infects bacteria‚ which is not dangerous to humans but acted as a proxy for all those other nasties that are – and gave them a flush‚ they found having the lid up or down gave no statistically significant difference in the amount of virus that ended up around the bathroom.“Our study demonstrated that lid position (up or down) prior to flushing of household or public toilets of United States design seeded with MS2 bacteriophage had no significant effect on the MS2 cross contamination of household restroom surfaces‚” notes the study. “MS2 was recovered from all restroom surfaces tested‚ and lid closure had no impact on the results.”What closing the lid did do‚ however‚ was to slightly redirect the spew. If you want‚ for some reason‚ to protect the bits of floor to the left and right in front of your toilet from getting quite so mucky‚ then don’t close the lid; if keeping the wall to the left clean is your priority‚ then shut it before you flush it.If you were eating while reading this then... sorry I guess? A schematic depiction of MS2 aerosolization and spread to adjacent areas after flushing a home toilet of U.S designImage Credit: Gerber et al.‚ 2024‚ (CC BY 4.0)Or wait‚ no‚ that’s bad advice. If you want to keep any area of your bathroom clean‚ then there’s actually something much better than just flushing and hoping for the best: disinfect it. Along with the bad news about pathogen spread‚ the study also had a silver lining – a review of the effectiveness of cleaning the toilet.“Cleaning of the toilet bowl with a disinfectant (formulated hydrochloric acid) and bowl brush in this study significantly […] reduced MS2 contamination of toilet bowl water‚ with >;4 log10 (>;99.99 percent) reduction‚ compared to cleaning with a brush only‚” the study confirms. “In addition‚ it was found that the toilet bowl brush itself was significantly […] less contaminated when a disinfectant product was used during cleaning. In this case‚ a 1.6 log10 (97.64 percent) reduction was observed.”In other words: if you don’t want to get sick – and frankly‚ we’re gonna just assume you don’t – clean your dang bathroom more often. The study is published in the American Journal of Infection Control.

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