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Roseanne suffers ratings hit; here's why the show hit a snag
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After being bullied, Darlene's son, Mark, gets caught with a pocket knife on the first day of his new school. Meanwhile, Becky invites Andrea over to meet the family and is nervous to bring her home, on the season premiere and second episode of the revival of "Roseanne." - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News special workflow
Published: May 11, 2018, 3:39 PM
Is the Roseanne wave over?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the ABC sitcom Roseanne suffered a major hit a week ago. The show garnered 10.3 million viewers with a 2.5 overall rating, which was a 23 and 26 percent drop in numbers, respectively, for the show. The show earned a 2.6 rating this week, reaching 10.19 million viewers.

Last Tuesday, May 1, was the first big drop for 'Roseanne' since it returned to the air with the biggest scripted telecast of the season, THR reported.

That said, Roseanne still garners high numbers. For its first five episodes, the show has an average 6.1 rating for adults 18 to 49, which is 30 percent higher than the NBC hit This is Us.

The revival of the ABC series was bound to come down to earth at some point, and it has plenty of room to fall before anyone need be concerned, according to AOL.

Roseanne debuted to bonkers ratings back in March, earning 18.2 million viewers for the first episode and 18.6 million for the second episode, ABC News reported.

The reboot marked the highest-rated regularly scheduled scripted show of the last few seasons as well as the highest-rated sitcom broadcast in over three years, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Such high ratings led ABC to renew the show for a second season.

Roseanne made headlines before it debuted because the shows star, Roseanne Barr, has been an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump. She said her character would also support the 45th president.

Barr said Trump called her to celebrate the shows successful opening night.

It was about the most exciting thing ever, and it was just very sweet of him to congratulate us, Barr said on "Good Morning America."







Though the shows opening episodes touched on politics, co-star Sara Gilbert told fans the show would no longer talk about Trump, according to Yahoo! News.

Its not about anyones position or a policy, its really about what happens to a family when theres a political divide, which is something that I think the entire country can relate to and something we need to talk about, Gilbert said, according to Yahoo! With our show, its never about doing an issue or doing politics. Its, 'How do these things affect a family unit?'
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.