Suicide on the Rise, Digital Eyestrain, Endangered Languages

Suicide on the Rise Guest: Tom Golightly, PhD, Licensed Therapist, Associate Clinical Director of the Counseling Center at BYU, President of the Association for University and College Counseling Center Outreach New analysis from the National Center for Health Statistics finds suicide in the United States is at the highest level in nearly 30 years. Every age group except older adults is committing suicide at higher rates than in the mid-1980s. Among adolescents and young adults, suicide remains a leading cause of death, but the study also finds it’s now rising among middle-aged Americans, which is a worrisome trend after decades of stable or declining rates for that group. Digital Eyestrain Guest: Adam Gordon, OD, Optometrist and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham More and more of our lives involve looking at digital screens that flicker ever-so-subtly and emit high-energy blue light. The eye strain that accompanies all this screen time is a real thing doctors are now treating. But some lens manufacturers are also warning that too much blue-light can cause permanent damage to the retina and hasten eye disease. And they’ve got glasses that promise to protect you. Are we really putting ourselves – and our kids – at risk for macular degeneration and other eye disease with all this digital screen time? Endangered Languages Guest: Bonny Sands, PhD, Linguist and Adjunct Professor at Northern Arizona University Here in the United States, we have laws to protect plant and animal species from completely disappearing. We’re maybe a little less concerned about the vestiges of human culture dying out—like language. The United Nations estimates that by the end of this century, half of the world’s six thousand languages will be gone.  And along with them, all of the cultural significance and history embedded in the words people used to express themselves. Apple Seed Guest: Sam Payne, Host of BYU Radio’s The Apple Seed Sam Payne joins us in studio to captivate us with a new story. Artificial Muscle Guest: Zhenan Boa, PhD, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University The muscles and skin of our bodies have incredible characteristics that make it hard to imagine how a manmade prosthetic limb, for example, could come anywhere close to the real thing. To be as flexible and touch sensitive and – most importantly – able to heal itself from a scratch or a tear. But researchers at Stanford University are making some amazing strides. They’ve created plastic skin that can tell the difference between a firm handshake and a light one. And communicate that to the brain. And, they’ve created plastic that actually can heal itself. Link to the research here. Unethical Behavior Guest; Matthew Quade, PhD, Assistant Professor of Management at Baylor University Suppose you've got an employee or a co-worker who is really productive, but also happens to be a bit shady. Maybe wastes a lot of time surfing questionable websites or taking care of personal stuff at work. Maybe the employee even crosses ethical lines in dealing with clients or making deals. But remember, this employee gets a lot of work done, too, and that makes your life as a boss or a co-worker easier. Less work to land on your lap, right?