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Amazon is about to make some serious layoffs. Is the company in trouble?
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Amazon will cut hundreds of corporate employees focused in the Seattle headquarters. The layoffs aim to help the company reduce the number of management positions. - photo by Herb Scribner
In a move to reduce the number of management positions, Amazon will cut hundreds of corporate employees, according to The Seattle Times.

The pending layoffs come after Amazon started a hiring freeze last year, and as the company looks to expand to a second headquarters location, The Seattle Times reported.

Amazon expects the cuts to be in the low hundreds, which is modest for a company that is now the second-largest U.S.-based corporate employer, and pales in comparison to adjustments in recent years that saw Microsoft and Boeing eliminate thousands of jobs in a single cutting drive, according to The Seattle Times.

"As part of our annual planning process, we are making head count adjustments across the company small reductions in a couple of places and aggressive hiring in many others," an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC. "For affected employees, we work to find roles in the areas where we are hiring."

Amazon will continue to hire in other areas of its company, like distribution.

Amazon set the benchmark for hiring over the past few years, according to CNBC, creating 130,000 jobs in 2017 alone. Amazon added another 90,000 jobs when it acquired Whole Foods.

Amazons layoffs come as the company seeks out its second headquarters. The company accepted 238 bids from 54 areas across North America for its new spot, according to CNN. Utah even submitted a proposal.

Amazon recently released a shortlist of candidates, and no Utah city was on the list. Some speculate Austin, Texas, will be the new host after seeing an Amazon commercial during the Super Bowl (more on that here), while others point to Atlanta as a top spot.

Amazon will also be looking to expand into the health care field, hoping to become a major supplier to hospitals in the near future, according to The Wall Street Journal. The company wants to supply products from gauze to hip implants.
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
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.