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Have You Seen This? The pain of evacuating during Hurricane Harvey
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Visiting from assignment in Istanbul, a National Geographic photojournalist evacuated her mother from her Houston home and caught their experience on camera. - photo by Angie Treasure


HOUSTON Hurricane Harvey has forced tens of thousands of people from their homes in the Houston, Texas, area and has reportedly damaged close to 50,000 residences during the torrential downpour and subsequent flooding.

Visiting Texas from her assignment in Istanbul, National Geographic photojournalist Erin Trieb evacuated her mother from her Houston home and caught their experience on camera.

If I didnt attach so much sentimental value to everything, I would just be OK, Triebs mom said tearfully as she assessed which things she would be able to take with her as she was leaving to stay with a neighbor. The house was flooded with a foot of water on Aug. 27, prompting her daughter to get her mother and the three family dogs to safer ground, with more than 2 feet of rain still expected to fall.

The dogs including a 19-year-old dachshund are shown in the video being transported in garbage cans as the family traverses the river-like streets of Houston.

Once her mother was safe, Trieb retrieved her work cameras, checked on her sisters house and documented some of the catastrophic conditions of Houston.

This is the worst street, where my sister lives, Trieb said with her bag of camera equipment on her head. Im literally two houses down from my sister in chest deep water and I have to tell you, this is the most nervous Ive been about dropping a phone.

The footage just documents one small familys evacuation story, and its hard to imagine how many thousands of people were displaced from their homes. To donate to the people affected by Harvey, click here.
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.