The Mets have ripped off 11 wins in 15 games after a trade deadline sell-off. They have won four of their last five series and have injected a bit of life into what had been a miserable season.

It will take an enormous run to even be in contention in mid-September. The Mets still trail the Padres by 10 games for the third and final NL wild-card spot, and six other teams are ahead of them. 

To reach 83 wins, the number of victories the final wild-card team secured a year ago, the Mets would need to go 25-9. That’s a .735 winning percentage, an extraordinarily tall order.

The Mets have the seventh-most difficult remaining strength of schedule, their opponents owning a combined .520 winning percentage. 

It includes 12 games against division leaders (White Sox and Rays on the road, Brewers and Astros at home).

Chrysler has issued a recall for more than 80,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles due to improperly installed rear coil springs that could detach while driving, creating a serious road hazard.

The recall, announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), affects 2022-2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2021-2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee L models. In total, 80,620 vehicles are included in the recall, though Chrysler estimates only about 0.5% actually have the defect.

“A rear coil spring that detaches from the vehicle while driving may create a road hazard to operators and occupants of other vehicles,” the NHTSA stated in its notice. “Road hazards to operators and occupants of other vehicles can cause vehicles to crash without prior warning.”

Vehicle owners have been notified, and dealers will inspect and repair affected vehicles at no cost. The repair will involve fixing the rear coil spring assembly if necessary.

A recent study published in the journal Neurology suggests that consuming artificial sweeteners may accelerate brain aging by over 1.5 years. The research, conducted by a team of medical researchers  in Brazil, examined the effects of artificial sweeteners on cognitive decline. The study analyzed data from nearly 13,000 people aged 35 to 75 over an eight-year period.

They discovered that people who consumed the highest amounts of the sweeteners experienced faster declines in thinking and memory skills compared to those who consumed the lowest amounts.

The sweeteners studied included aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame-K, erythritol, xylitol, and sorbitol.

The study found that the effects were more pronounced in individuals under 60 and those with diabetes. The study is observational and does not prove causation, but it raises important questions about the long-term impact of artificial sweeteners on brain health.