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Have You Seen This? How elephants say welcome to the family
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Elephants are fascinating creatures in many ways. - photo by Martha Ostergar
Martha Ostergar
KSL.com
Published: Feb 12, 2018, 4:12 PM
THE PRESERVE Elephants are fascinating creatures in many ways.

Just their appearance is increible with their size, nose, ears, tusks, and skin. But then you learn that they live in strong, matriarchal family units that work together to raise their young and protect each other.

There are unbelievable stories of elephants ramming trains in defense of their herd and working together to save a calf in danger. On top of that, they cry.

Knowing all that, its easy to start thinking of elephants as human-like. But then you see a video like the one featured today, and you might start thinking that elephants might just be better creatures than us humans.

In the video, a herd of elephants at the Save Elephant Foundation are rushing toward in enclosure. They do this in a tight formation, almost moving as one body. And the reason why they are rushing is to welcome an orphaned calf to their territory.

The noise is incredible, and its easy to hear it as a joyous keening as well as a sound of comfort for a lost baby. The calf is safely in the enclosure for the first greeting, but that doesnt stop curious elephant noses from reaching in to greet the new herd member.

I certainly got a little misty watching the encounter, and Ive definitely watched it at least four times so far.

The video was tweeted by @yashar on Feb. 7.
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.