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Are millennials not taking stock in the stock market?
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Many millennials aren't investing in the stock market, mainly out of a lack or funds or understanding of how it works. - photo by Sarah Anderson
Perhaps it's not surprising that a generation that came of age during the recession isn't investing in the stock market, although those that are show a willingness to take risks.

A Bankrate survey found that only a third of millennials own stock, compared to more than half of Generation X investing in the market and slightly less than half of Baby Boomers, according to Bankrate.com. Within the demographic, older millennials close in on the previous generations with about 44 percent of those ages 26 to 35 investing, while only 18 percent of those ages 18 to 25 do.

When asked why they dont invest, Bankrate.com reported 46 percent of all millennials surveyed said they don't have enough money. When the generation was broken down into the older and younger sets, a lack of money was also the most popular answer for the older crowd at 57 percent.

For the younger subset of millennials, the most popular reason given was that they didnt understand the stock market enough to invest, Bankrate.com stated.

The younger you are, the more you should rely on stocks, stock mutual funds and stock ETFs to fuel your retirement portfolio, writes Paul Katzeff for Investors.com. The younger you are, the more time your portfolio has to rebound from periodic setbacks. Which it will."

Millennials that do invest, however, aren't necesarilly risk-averse, as CNN.com noted. In the wake of Brexit and the Dows plunge of 600 points, there's evidence that millennials invested more in the stock market than any other generation.

Millennials who traded the day after the Brexit decision on the retail brokerage platform of Fidelity, a multinational financial service corporation, made 2.7 buys for every sale, according to CNN.com. Amongst Fidelity's more than four million customers, millennials were the ones who took the most risks with their high numbers of stock purchases that day, it added.

Ben Steverman at Bloomberg even called the behavior of millennial stock investors cocky in an article, citing a survey that suggests millennial investors are more likely to be active in a crisis than Baby Boomer, whether it means buying or selling.

It's behavior drastically different from what was seen in millennials a few years ago, CNN.com states. When the U.S. credit rating was downgraded in August 2011 and the Dow consequently plunged 635 points, millennial stock purchases were outnumbered by those from Generation X and on par with the risk-averse Baby Boomers, CNN.com cites as an example.

Part of it is that today, with the economy recovering, millennials have more fulltime employment and are better paid, John Sweeney, executive vice president for retirement and investing strategies at Fidelity, told CNN.com.

It's also a recognition about the need to take more control over their retirement, he said to CNN.com.
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.