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Have You Seen This? Viral video shows power of finding common ground
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A Danish director created a video that shows different groups of people finding things they have in common, and the internet is loving it to the tune of over 34 million views and counting. - photo by Martha Ostergar
Martha Ostergar
KSL.com
Published: Feb 6, 2017, 1:51 PM
THE WORLD A Danish director created a video that shows different groups of people finding things they have in common, and the internet is loving it to the tune of over 34 million views and counting.

The video begins with an empty floor with spaces taped off in blocks. Each block is then filled by groups of people who from the outside look like they have something in common. Nurses, bikers, business people, suburbanites, and more all stand nervously waiting for direction.

The moderator then starts asking questions with the disclaimer that he knows some of the questions are personal, but he hopes everyone can answer honestly.

Who was the class clown? he asks, and people from almost every group shift and come to the front to stand together with people they may not have thought they had anything in common with. The moderator then asks several more questions; some elicit tears, some come with giggles, and at least one comes with a round of applause. Its a simple yet moving exercise.

Whatever you think of the video, the message the director is sending seems clear: we all have common ground if we just ask the right questions. It points a humanity that is greater than politics, money, popularity, power, group affiliation, and whatever borders we create between each other as humans.

In this writers opinion, whether you find common ground with others that is anywhere on the scale of silly to profound, it can be the perfect starting point to better understanding and loving each other as individual human beings.

Director Asger Leth (Man on a Ledge) created the video for Denmarks TV2.
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.