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A new Mark Twain children's story is coming
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As The New York Times reported on Monday, a rediscovered tale from Mark Twain, real name Samuel Clemens, will be released this fall. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
DeseretNews.com Web Team
Published: Jan 24, 2017, 6:50 AM
Prepare yourself. A new Mark Twain story is coming.

As The New York Times reported Monday, a rediscovered tale from Mark Twain, real name Samuel Clemens, will be released this fall.

The story, called "The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine," is an expanded version of a bedtime story that Twain told his young daughters. The story centers around a poor boy who can suddenly talk to animals after he eats a magic flower, according to The Times.

Philip and Erin Stead expanded the original tale for the publisher Doubleday.

The original story sat well enough with Clemens that he wrote down notes about it. Historian John Bird of the University of California, Berkeley, found the notes and delivered them to the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, which sold the rights, according to The Times.

"Its impossible to know why Twain did not finish the tale, or if he ever intended it for a wider audience," according to The Times. "Now, more than a century after Twain dreamed it up, 'Oleomargarine' has taken on a strange new afterlife."

Read more about the forthcoming story at The New York Times.
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.