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'Pokmon Go' adds new story missions, quests and, of course, the legendary Mew
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Niantic announced its latest update to "Pokemon Go," which will add a little more substance to the augmented-reality game. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News special workflow
Published: Mar 29, 2018, 4:11 PM
Niantic announced its latest update to "Pokemon Go," which will add a little more substance to the augmented-reality game.

The game will now include two new research concepts, with daily activities and an ongoing story for players.

Field Research requires gamers to stop by PokeStops locations in the game, where they will learn daily objectives that include discovering and catching certain Pokmon or engaging with battles, among other things, according to pokemongolive.com.

Meanwhile, players can participate in Special Research, which pokemongolive.com claims "will take you on a journey to make important discoveries!

Both types of research offer great rewards, including a variety of useful items and even encounters with certain Pokmon! according to the press release. You can complete as many research tasks as you want every day, leading to a full day of adventures. These tasks also have different levels of difficulty, so the more challenging a research task is, the greater the reward waiting for you.

Completing a task will earn gamers one stamp. Collect seven of those and you earn more rewards.

Participating in Field Research and Special Research will help gamers learn more about a Mythical Pokemon named Mew, who will be added to the game.

According to The Verge, the update is the biggest one for "Pokemon Go" since it added real-life weather conditions to the game in December, and it comes as other franchises, such as Jurassic World and The Walking Dead, add their own augmented-reality games.

Google recently announced it plans to open up its Map platform to allow game developers to build new games using augmented reality and real-time locations, according to Engadget.
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.