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Have You Seen This? Dolphin bodyslams paddleboarder
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If this paddleboarder wasnt awake before, hes surely awake now. - photo by Martha Ostergar
Martha Ostergar
KSL.com
Published: May 8, 2018, 12:59 PM
THE DEEP BLUE Sometimes we think of dolphins as angelic creatures that somehow love humankind so much they seek us out to save us.

A theory of divine dolphins feels like an easy thing to believe because weve all heard stories about dolphins saving shipwrecked men from drowning and saving sea swimmers from shark attacks. We humans seem to feel so connected to our aquatic friends that we also pay hundreds of dollars to have close encounters with dolphins.

The man in this featured video didnt pay for his close encounter, but he may have paid to stop it from happening if he could have foreseen his future.

Andrew Hill went out for a paddle when he saw a pod of dolphins an experience hes used to.

Eight or nine of them decided to catch that wave and surf straight at me, which has happened lots of times in the past to me, and generally they just take off to one side left or right, he told 7News Perth.

But thats not what happened this April.

Instead, a dolphin pops out of the water and full-body crashes into Hill, sending him into the drink. But never fear, he quickly regains his board to recover from the shock. Hill said that he was winded after his unexpected bodyslam from a dolphin, but he was no more injured than with any hit hes taken on the rugby pitch (gotta love Australians).

Luckily for the internet, the incident was captured by Instagram user @lubricatedsurf, who was waiting to film some surfers that morning. Its a case of two people in the right place, but only one of them was there at the right time.
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.