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Could you win the National Spelling Bee? Take the quiz!
Bee Smart
Spelling Bee Contest. - photo by Metro Creative Graphics

The Scripps National Spelling Bee wrapped up on May 29, naming two competitors as co-champions for the first time since 1962. Sriram Hathwar, a 14-year-old New Yorker, and Ansun Sujoe, a 13-year-old Texan, battled for five perfect rounds before the tie was announced.

While the two teens will share the title, they were both given the full championship prize — $30,000 in cash, a $2,500 savings bond, and a vast collection of books.

The words for the competition were selected from the 470,000 or so in Merriam Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. The following quiz includes 10 words from this year’s event. Try your luck and see how you might have fared against the nation’s top spellers. Unlike the competitors at the spelling bee, you won’t have the luxury of hearing these words pronounced out loud. But you’ll still get to try your hand at spelling some undeniable difficult words.

1. A close comrade
A. Corpsbruder
B. Coorpsbruder
C. Corpsbrooder
D. Corrpsbrooder
2. A snow leopard
A. Erbes
B. Irbuss
C. Erbihs
D. Irbis
3. Waterproof leggings
A. Antegropilos
B. Antigropelos
C. Antegropeloes
D.Antigropeloes
4. A Haitian social gathering
A. Bamboche
B. Bambosh
C. Bahmboche
D. Bammbosh
5. A nonrigid airship
A. Parsival
B. Parsevul
C. Parseval
D. Parsivul
6. A thin undercrust of pastry
A. Abbase
B. Abaisse
C. Uhbayse
D. Abays
7. A dialogue, especially of an altercation
A. Stychomythia
B. Stichomythia
C. Stechomythia
D. Stichomithia
8. The features section of a European newspaper or magazine
A. Feulletion
B. Foolletion
C. Feuletion
D. Fooletion
9. A nodule of clay ironstone
A. Atites
B. Atiites
C. Aetites
D. Aytites
10. Pertaining to philosopher Kierkegaard
A. Kierkegardian
B. Kierkegaardiun
C. Kierkegaardian
D. Kierkegaardianne
ANSWERS: 1-A, 2-D, 3-B, 4-A, 5-C, 6-B, 7-B, 8-A, 9-C, 10-C

You can contact Grant Olsen at grantorrin@gmail.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.