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Heres the frontrunner for the new Amazon headquarters
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Experts have weighed-in on where they expect to see Amazon build its new headquarters after the retail company released a shortlist of locations last week. - photo by Herb Scribner
Experts have weighed in on where they expect to see Amazon build its new headquarters after the retail company released a shortlist of locations.

Atlanta seems to be the frontrunner, according to Mashable.

Last week, Amazon released a shortlist of potential sites for its second headquarters, revealing 20 locations across the United States for the $5 billion, 5,000-job project. Amazon originally announced it would build a second headquarters in September 2017.

Demographic expert Bert Sperling said in November 2017 that he expected Atlanta to be the host of the new headquarters, according to Mashable. He slightly walked back on that idea once the shortlist came out last week, saying that its hard to ignore big cities like New York City, Boston and Miami.

However, he still sees Atlanta as a city with "good affordability and plenty of space," making it a prime option, Mashable reported.

Meanwhile, Daniel Ives, head of technology research at GBH Insights, put Atlanta at the top of his list, ranking ahead of Raleigh, North Carolina; Washington, D.C.; Boston and Austin, Texas.

"We're big believers that a big East Coast presence is something that Bezos has been looking to get and the second HQ gets him there," Ives said, according to CNBC.

Ives said Atlanta tops the list because it is on the East Coast, has a thriving student pipeline and includes a transportation hub, among other factors

Funny enough, a small community in Stonecrest, Georgia, said it would repurpose 345 acres of its land to be renamed Amazon. The city is about 25 miles east of Atlanta.

But, according to CNN, New York and Washington, D.C., appear to be the frontrunners since "three separate areas in the Greater Washington area made the shortlist: DC itself, Northern Virginia and Montgomery County, Maryland. And two communities in Greater New York did so as well, New York City and Newark."

Meanwhile, a New York Times report from September 2017 argued that Denver was the top choice thanks to its affordability, student pipeline and already-growing tech sector.
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.