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Have You Seen This? Lioness plays fetch
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Maybe big cats are on their way to taking over the title of mans best friend? (Hint: They are not; its just a fun video.) - photo by Martha Ostergar
Martha Ostergar
KSL.com
Published: Oct 17, 2017, 1:02 PM
CAT SANCTUARY Playing fetch with a dog who is into it is heaps of fun.

The energy and excitement is contagious, well, at least until the reality of repetitive throwing rears its ugly head.

Sadly, Ive heard some dog owner disparage cats because they dont play fetch, but thats not quite the whole story.

First, some dogs are really bad at fetch. They wont chase a thrown object for love or money, or they wont drop the thrown object once they have it. Second, there are house cats that will play fetch with little tinfoil balls or even tennis balls. I have met such a cat. She was pretty rad. Third, cats actually have their own version of fetch, but its more like catch and kill.

The cat in this video plays the latter version of the game, but this is no lap cat. This is a full-grown lioness named Serabie that lives on a lion sanctuary in South Africa.

The keeper in the video gathers up a big pile of sticks and lobs them over the fence for Serabie to fetch. She runs and jumps and pounces while her male counterparts looked confused and then slightly annoyed at her enthusiasm for inanimate objects.

She is so into the game that she cant not kill a thrown stick. So when a stick gets stuck in a tree a tree that looks like it should not hold her weight Serabie climbs that tree to try and get her kill fix.

The video is pretty stinking adorable, but as with any video featuring a wild animal, this one comes with a reminder. No matter how cute, cuddly, pet-like or human-like wild animals seem, they are wild animals with unpredictable behavior. Please enjoy nature responsibly.
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.