By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Have You Seen This? Flying Frenchies surf across a zip line
14ac77778cb8ef22a4a405c7a55ad2d22030c4a74544154d1ab44fc5dcf6b231
What's the ideal way to experience a beautiful French mountain range? For The Flying Frenchies, it's zip lining through it: on surfboards. - photo by Mary Dalrymple
Mary Dalrymple
KSL.com
Published: Nov 13, 2016, 2:59 PM


VERCORS MOUNTAIN RANGE What's the ideal way to experience a beautiful French mountain range? For The Flying Frenchies, it's zip lining through it: on surfboards.

While zip lining and surfing are cool activities, both require a decent amount of bravery, and only the most daring among us would try both at once.

In this video for Red Bull, the group of buddies who comprise the multi-talented collective The Flying Frenchies, fly through the expansive canyons in the French mountain range, The Vercors Massif.

Then, as if that wasn't enough, they BASE jump from the zip line down through the canyon. As you might expect, the footage is absolutely stunning.

According to RedBull.com, The Flying Frenchies are a group of five to six friends who do "BASE jumping, mountaineering, climbing, alpinism, speed riding pretty much all the sports that include flying, climbing and the mountains."

They are also artists who hope projects like this one will bring more sense to the world.

"We want our lives to be a music that leads us through our hearts. We want to be open to the unknown and to the wish to discover the world, as much outside than inside of us," wrote Anicet Leone, the technical expert behind this video. "We are clowns, gentle fools and we throw ourselves in the empty spaces, surfing the air to provoke and to be seen, representing the atypical dreamers' minority."

The group is working on a longer documentary film about the experience. "Surfing The Line" is expected to be released in festivals and online in time for Christmas.

Anicet Leone
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
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.