Angry birds… there’s hidden danger!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
These days, we spend a LOT of face time with our electronic devices. But whether we notice or not, these gadgets emit a LOT of blue light. Should we be concerned?
To find out, Trevor Nash from Oregon State University and his colleagues examined the effect of blue light on fruit flies. Flies with and without eyes were exposed to either blue or white light. They all received twelve hour doses of light — followed by twelve hours of darkness.
Results? Flies exposed to BLUE light aged faster and had shorter lives! The researchers used the flies’ climbing ability as a measure of aging. Flies exposed to blue light were slower climbers. They also showed a loss of brain cells and degradation of cells in the eye. Even flies without eyes showed brain damage after blue light exposure!
The researchers believe daily blue light exposure is not good, whether you see it or not.
So drop those screens — like flies! Or in the case of angry birds, like snorting pigs.