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Have You Seen This? Rally car driver crashes halfway off cliff
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There's really only one thing to say after watching this video: thank goodness for guard rails. - photo by Mary Dalrymple


CANARY ISLANDS There's really only one thing to say after watching this video: thank goodness for guard rails.

The video comes from last week's Rally Islas Canaries event, an international rally racing event that takes place on the beautiful, winding mountain roads of the Canary Islands. During Friday's race, 24-year-old Polish racer Tomasz Kasperczyk had a bit of an unfortunate turn that was caught on camera in dramatic aerial footage.

In the video, we see Kasperczyk's car take a corner too fast, smash hard into a guard rail and almost fall down a very steep cliff. The car precariously teeters halfway off the cliff while Kasperczyk gets out and holds up a sign indicating that he's OK.

I'll be honest, despite knowing that Kasperczyk was fine after the crash, it felt like my heart might've actually stopped as I watched the video. It's really just astounding how hard the car hits the railing and how that railing still manages to hold the car up, even after being mangled from the impact.

If you watch the whole video, you get to see the camera zoom in on the crash and replay it in slow-motion. It's worth watching the whole thing, if only so you can be thankful that our modern safety measures actually work.
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
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.