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Have You Seen This? Not your toddlers finger puppet, part 2
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A British puppeteer takes his fully articulated finger puppets to the next level with a glow-in-the-dark bug puppet. - photo by Martha Ostergar
Martha Ostergar
KSL.com
Published: Aug 28, 2017, 2:01 PM
FINGERVILLE The Muppets have had the corner on the market of non-creepy puppets for decades, but now they have a new competitor.

You have to admit that many puppets that arent Muppet-like are plain creepy. Horror movies aside, ventriloquist dolls are fairly unsettling for many rational adults, and traditional marionettes arent much better. Those eyes, man, theyll pierce your soul (in a bad way) every time.

Thats one reason why Barnaby Dixons puppets are so amazing they are incredibly intricate and detailed, but they dont give you the creeps. And on top of all of that, they are finger puppets. Tiny, adorable, fully articulated finger puppets.

Dixons new bug puppet is a riff on a puppet hes made before, but this time hes added a few features that take his creation to a new level. His bug had little bouncing antenna that give it a sweet personality, plus flapping wings that give him the illusion of flying jumps.

But the kicker is the glow-in-the-dark quality. Its not a special glow in the dark feature that you havent seen before, but for some reason its the extra step that makes the bug extra special. It also helps cool-ify the after-effects Dixon applies mid-video.

So move over Muppets, here comes the new wave of non-creepy puppets to entertain audiences of all ages.

Make sure to continue watching after Dixons sign off to see a sweet little bug dance.
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.