The Checkup: TV Remotes Among Most Germy Surfaces in Hotel Rooms

• Just in time for vacation season, I bring you this: a study on the most germy surfaces in hotel rooms. (Just what you wanted to read about first thing on a Monday, right?) Preliminary research presented at a meeting yesterday of the American Society for Microbiology  found that TV remotes and bedside lamp switches are among the most germ-ridden surfaces in hotel rooms, “right up there with toilets and bathrooms sinks in having the highest levels of bacterial contamination,” reports HealthDay. Not surprisingly, researchers also found high levels of contamination on housekeepers’ mops and sponges, which means germs from one room easily pass to the next, and the next, and so on. The least germy surfaces included bed headboards, curtain rods and—get this—bathroom door handles. Interesting, right? Researchers hope the study could lead to better cleaning practices in hotels.

• Can diet soda make you overeat? Yes, according to one study, which looked at how the brain’s reward center reacts to fake sugar. Check out this read over on the Atlantic.

• Your body is teeming with bacteria, fungi and viruses. The Los Angeles Times looks at what’s living where.