By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
These San Diego twins were born a year apart by one minute
a3520941fa20c7f1e480cf07093e4920de3e86bd0f987827126b37abc8cfec74
A pair of San Diego twins were born in different years, thanks to one minute. - photo by Herb Scribner
Twins share a lot of things in common their looks, personality traits and, in most cases, their birthdays.

But for a pair of San Diego twins, this isnt the case.

As KGTV San Diego reported, a pair of twins born over New Years Eve have completely different birthdays. Thats because girl Jaelyn Valencia was born at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2015, where as her brother, Luis Valencia Jr., was born at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2016.

This was an even more surprising birth since the Valencias didnt know they were having twins, KGTV reported.

It was around midnight and she was just popping out. It was crazy seeing her little head pop out first, the father, Luis Valencia, told KGTV. I was not really expecting two, so it's a big blessing to have two of them, boy and a girl for New Years.

Of course, these twins arent the only ones born without the same birthday. In fact, back in October 2015, a Washington state couple saw their first baby born in September, where as their second baby was born months later. This was because of a rare condition called twin to twin syndrome, in which one twin draws the blood from another, leaving one of the twins sick and weakened without enough blood supply, delaying the twins birth, ABC News reported.

The San Diego twins story comes at a time when there are more twins in the United States than before, according to a new report, which found that the U.S. twin birth rate reached a record high in 2014. The twin birth rate hit 33.9 twins for every 1,000 births, which is up from the 33.7 twins per 1,000 births in 2013, The Huffington Post reported.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
93cbd7a5475cccd1cee701424125d3abaa9b4beaa58d3663208f656cbbbd7661
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.