--- title: How to Clean Your Filthy Cell Phone: This Week in Health description: Here's the right way to clean your cell phone screen and avoid some of the grossest germs—plus the biggest stories in health this week. canonical: https://time.com/4913952/clean-your-cell-phone-health-news/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-25T13:14:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:58:32.913Z article:section: Health og:title: How to Clean Your Filthy Cell Phone: This Week in Health og:description: Here's the health news you need to know this week. og:url: https://time.com/4913952/clean-your-cell-phone-health-news/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt540a9d70bce23cb4/698778915f570f19fcb148f1/iphone-social-apps-tinder.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: TIME.com stock photos Social Apps iPhone Tinder og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How to Clean Your Filthy Cell Phone: This Week in Health twitter:description: Here's the health news you need to know this week. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt540a9d70bce23cb4/698778915f570f19fcb148f1/iphone-social-apps-tinder.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How to Clean Your Filthy Cell Phone: This Week in Health > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Aug 25, 2017 1:14 PM UTC  Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Aug 25, 2017 1:14 PM UTC Your cell phone picks up bacteria everywhere it goes. (Touching it 47 times a day, the national average, doesn’t help.) Not to worry, though: [doing this](http://new.time.com/4908654/cell-phone-bacteria/) just a few times a month will likely protect you. Here’s the other health news you need to know this week. Sign up for the [TIME Health newsletter](http://time.com/newsletter-health) for more. ## [Your cell phone is 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat ](http://time.com/4908654/cell-phone-bacteria/) Here’s the right way to clean your screen and avoid some of the grossest germs. ## [Why pigs might be even better organ donors than humans](http://time.com/4910657/why-people-may-have-pig-organs-inside-them-one-day/)  Four newborn pink piglets. Getty Images Scientists have created virus-free piglets that could one day provide organs for human transplants. One of the scientists behind the research, geneticist George Church, says he believes pig organs could one day be engineered to be even healthier and more durable than organs from humans. ## [What’s the best non-pasta pasta?](http://time.com/4906359/healthy-pasta-noodles/) There are all kinds of ways now to eat non-flour pasta. Here are the perks of zucchini noodles, lentil pasta and chickpea spaghetti. ## [How a short meditation can help people drink less](http://time.com/4912780/mindfulness-meditation-drinking/)  Molly Cranna for TIME A mere 11 minutes of mindfulness training, given just one time, may help heavy drinkers cut back on alcohol, found a new study. Though mindfulness-based treatments usually involve many hours of practice, the new report suggests that even a quick mindful session may be powerful. ## [You asked: Are airport body scanners safe?](http://time.com/4909615/airport-body-scanners-safe/) The type of body scanner at U.S. airports—called a millimeter-wave scanner—doesn’t pose much of a cancer risk, health experts say. ## [Is hydrogen water good for you?](http://time.com/4907106/hydrogen-water-health-benefits/)  Twelve glasses of water Getty Images Water is one of the healthiest beverages you can drink, since it’s free of sugar, salt and chemicals that can harm cells. That hasn’t stopped companies from trying to improve on the health benefits of H2O. But does adding extra hydrogen to bottled water make a difference? ## [Why the Zika virus is especially dangerous for pregnant women](http://time.com/4908546/zika-pregnant-women-immune-system/)  Getty Images; Illustration by Marisa Gertz for TIME A new study looks at how the Zika virus tricks the immune systems of pregnant women. Since expectant mothers are already more vulnerable to infections, the report underlines the importance of keeping them protected. ## [Why do your ears pop on airplanes?](http://time.com/4901296/why-do-your-ears-pop-on-airplanes/) It’s perfectly normal, but can be uncomfortable. 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