Lifestyle

Safety-related technology is one of the major factors making owners of new cars happier than ever with their purchases, a new report from J.D. Power has found. “Not only are models increasingly offering systems that improve safety and visibility, but owners are also using them on a regular basis,” said Renee Stephens, vice president of U.S. automotive quality at J.D. Power. “This can go a long way toward generating positive feelings about their vehicle overall.” This is the 20th year that J.D. Power has released its U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study. It is an industry benchmark for how gratifying to own and drive new vehicles are. Participants evaluate new car purchases based on 77 factors that are then combined into a total index score measured on a 1,000-p...

According to a recent report from Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News, new fertility testing methods are being developed to test the RNA of sperm. This could mean great strides in the field of infertility, and help for those who are experiencing it. Until now, there have been fewer developments in male infertility than female infertility. The main factors examined when determining infertile sperm are usually concentration, motility, and morphology. But now, researchers are reaching into the very makeup of the sperm to determine the molecular causes of infertility. The authors of the study presented their findings in an article entitled, "Absence of sperm RNA elements correlates with idiopathic male infertility." In it, they stated: “We assessed spermatozoal RNAs from 96 couples p...

This summer, your home is at risk of being damaged. During this time of year, a phenomenon called solar distortion happens -- and it could be ruining your home's vinyl siding as you read this article. According to a July 3 WDTV article, solar distortion is what happens when one home's windows reflect sunlight onto the home next door's siding, causing the siding to melt and costing the homeowner thousands of dollars in siding repairs. Vinyl siding is the most popular siding choice for American homeowners, and it's not hard to see why. This siding is durable, affordable and aesthetically pleasing -- just not when it's located within the "hot zone" of a neighbor's energy-efficient windows. Energy-efficient windows, or Low-E windows, essentially act like a magnifying glass, multiplying the...

Good news, and bad news, Powerball players. Soon, the odds of winning the lottery's jackpot are going to be tougher, but you may be able to win $1 billion if you do. In the beginning of July, the New York Gaming Commission announced that it'd be tweaking the odds of winning the lottery to increase revenue. Soon, the odds are going from one in 175,223,510, to one in 292,201,338. In other words, those odds that were worse than being struck by lightning (one in 3 million), or being attacked by sharks (one in 11.5 million), or even being crushed to death by a vending machine (only one in 112 million, actually) are now even worse. On the bright side, a mathematician at FiveThirtyEight has figured out that the new odds make it radically more likely for a player to win $1 billion. About 7.5 tim...

Diet and exercise work together to keep us healthy, and without one, the other may as well be pointless. A recent study conducted jointly by professors at William and Mary and the University of Maryland highlighted yet another key benefit of this balance. The study looked into the possible connection between social anxiety and fermented foods. We’ve heard the cliche “you are what you eat” enough times to have it ingrained in our brains forever. But the results of this study prove that eating healthier can affect both your body and your mind in a positive way. We’ve seen the connection between mental health issues and exercise already. Other studies have proven exercise to be an effective antidepressant for mild depression due to the dopamine production that occurs. The William and Mary st...

Currently, autism is diagnosed through a series of psychiatric screenings and evaluations that vary widely in their accuracy. Since many of the typical indicators of autism aren't always apparent during a child's behavioral development, correctly diagnosing this disorder can be a challenge. But what if there were a simpler, more accurate way to detect autism in young children? As researchers have recently discovered, diagnosing autism could simply be a matter of following your nose. According to a July 6 Inquisitr article, the study, conducted by the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, found that children with autism are more likely to inhale unpleasant scents than children without it. Typically, humans tend to inhale less air when we detect a foul odor -- or even hold our breath ...

Congressional Republicans blocked an amendment to a bill that would subject electronic cigarettes (or "e-cigarettes") to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) review process. The Hill reports that GOP lawmakers struck down the amendment in Congress on Wednesday in a 26-23 vote. The bill in question would fund the FDA as well as the Department of Agriculture (DA). The amendment was proposed by New York Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D), who wanted to remove the exemption of e-cigarettes to the FDA pre-market review process found in the bill. Lowey was none-too-pleased with the decision, calling it "objectionable." "This bill would allow [e-cigarettes] to stay on the market...without an FDA pre-market review and open the door for similar products to avoid FDA review down the road," Lowey sa...

If you’ve been making a lot of bad decisions lately, your sleep habits could be to blame. According to a new study recently published from Clemson University, there is a connection between having poor sleep habits and developing negative tendencies, such as increased impulsiveness and an inability to concentrate. As Medical Daily puts it, “When you go days of getting only four or five hours of sleep a night, you begin to feel and look like a zombie: Bags seem to appear under your eyes overnight...Your hair is somehow more disheveled than normal. Walking up the stairs is so much more exhausting than usual and your productivity at work or school plummets.” Although the physical effects of sleep deprivation are notable and serious, this last part -- your productivity at work or school -- i...

You can see it in the number of people flocking to the grocery store or pharmacy to purchase at-home tooth whitening kits. You can also get a sense for it when observing pretty much any orthodontist, who can often fit dozens of patients with braces before 10 a.m. Even still, you can see it in the number of people researching things like dental veneers and implants. All these signs only indicate one thing: more than ever before in history, society is obsessed with having a perfect, pristine set of teeth. Between 1982 and 2008, the number of orthodontic procedures in the U.S. jumped a shocking 99%. Similar rises in demand can be seen for cosmetic dental procedures -- procedures that are exclusively aesthetic in nature and aren't performed for the sake of the patient's dental health. Second o...

A healthy human being is capable of drinking about three gallons (48 cups) of water per day. However, drinking too much water too quickly when doing strenuous exercise can lead to hyponatremia, a potentially fatal condition. Following the deaths of at least 14 deaths of marathon runners, football players, and other athletes, a panel of 17 experts from across the world worked together to publish new guidelines in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine outlining the safest way to consume water without overdoing it. Simply put, they say to drink only when you're thirsty. "Our major goal was to re-educate the public on the hazards of drinking beyond thirst during exercise," Dr. Tamara Hew-Butler, the guideline’s lead author, said in a statement. "Every single [exercise-associated hyponatremia...