By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Genius woman explains how the uterus contracts to give birth with just a balloon and a ping pong bal
f91eedfca3d90f010e9fed4dd28777f9c9ec173109e66671555296a94a718e5b
Tag your pregnant friend. - photo by David Snell
Childbirth educator and mother of four, Liz Chambers, just blew our minds with and incredible visual representation of *drumroll please* BIRTH.

If you've never given birth before (like me ... because I'm a guy) then you may not know that not all contractions are the same. In the video, Chambers explains the difference between the deceptive Braxton Hicks contractions and what she refers to as the "real" contractions.

She made the video for her niece, Charlotte, who is working to become a childbirth educator like her aunt. Check it out here.

Fascinating, right? I guess the only difference is that in real life the balloon is a uterus, the ping pong ball is the size of a baby and the whole process takes hours instead of seconds. No problem.

The video has accumulated a few million views on Facebook and well over 300,000 on YouTube.

Chambers is a co-owner of Puget Sound Birth Center in Washington State. She says she learned this incredible visual lesson from a workshop called Stomp Out Boring Childbirth Classes.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
93cbd7a5475cccd1cee701424125d3abaa9b4beaa58d3663208f656cbbbd7661
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.