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4 things your newborn wants you to know
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Your newborn is a cuddly bundle of amazing intelligence and physical wonder. Now, just try to remember that at 3am tonight. - photo by Rachel Chipman
Rachel Chipman
FamilyShare
Published: Jan 28, 2015, 7:59 AM
Your newborn baby is cute, for sure, but it doesn't seem like there is much going on in there. The baby eats. The baby cries. The baby fills diapers. The baby sleeps. However, your baby is quite intelligent for one who is such a novice at life. If he or she could talk, this is what you might hear.

I know my mommy

The little bundle the nurses handed you in the hospital couldn't say, "Hello, Mommy," but your baby knew exactly who you were all the same. In utero, an infant can hear his or her mother's voice, so by birth, babies can distinguish between their moms' voices and others' voices. Research also indicates that fetuses learn to recognize their mothers' smells during the last trimester of the pregnancy.

If you are trying to convince a newborn to sleep, this information can come in handy. Try placing something that smells like mom in the crib (a pillow case or a shirt) or playing a recording of her voice in the nursery.

My eyesight is not so great

At birth, a baby's eyesight is around 20/600. In layman's terms, this means a newborn can see an object 20 feet away as well as the average person can see the object from 600 feet away. At around six months of age, though, children's eyesight has improved to average adult levels.

Faces are my favorite

Research indicates that babies can recognize a human face at birth. In fact, they prefer faces to other stimuli. Keep this in mind when purchasing baby gear; for the first month or so, your baby's favorite toy will probably be you.

After faces, babies prefer high contrast patterns. They can't distinguish between colors, so black and white checkerboard-type patterns will draw the most attention at first. My dad was especially proud that his blue and white plaid shirt caught his two-week-old grandbaby's attention. Day by day, you will notice your baby's eyes as he or she focuses on more and different kinds of objects and patterns.

I'm not tearing up

Your newborn may arch his or her back and wail when hungry, but you won't see any tears. While your baby does have tear ducts, they can only produce enough liquid to protect the eyes. Tears will begin to show up at around three months of age.

I have more bones than you do

At birth, humans have 270 bones. Over time, the bones in the skull and the spine fuse together, so adults have 206 bones. Scientists believe that having more separated bones (as well as a lot of cartilage in the skeleton) helps babies get through the birthing process unscathed.

Your newborn is a cuddly bundle of amazing intelligence and physical wonder. Now, just try to remember that at 3am tonight.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.