Posted on

Generation Y Becomes Generation Why Bother?

Y-150x116Here’s a TERRIFIC opinion piece from March 2012, published in the New York Times, exploring the counter-intuitive Demographic Twist of our time: kids aren’t moving out, moving on, and getting on with life. And it’s NOT just about the economy.

For example, this piece cites the fact that in 1980, 80% of teens proudly had their Drivers Licenses in hand. In 2008, that number is a paltry 65%.

I blogged a little about this phenomena earlier (“Failure to Fledge“) –check out Todd and Victoria Buchholtz’s fascinating piece in the NY Times right here.

Posted on

Interesting Theory: Nearsightedness and the Sun

Teatime
Teatime

Have you ever wondered why so many people today have to wear glasses? I have.

Scientists are beginning to realize there appears to be a connection between a person’s childhood exposure to sunlight and proper eye/lens development.

Those children who are least exposed to the sun (and most exposed to artificial lighting) grow into myopic (near-sighted) adults.

Here’s a quick quote from an intriguing 2011 piece from the New York Times::

There is significant evidence that the trait is inherited, so you might wonder why our myopic ancestors weren’t just removed from the gene pool long ago, when they blundered into a hungry lion or off a cliff. But although genes do influence our fates, they are not the only factors at play.

In this case, the rapid increase in nearsightedness appears to be due to a characteristic of modern life: more and more time spent indoors under artificial lights.

Check the full story out here at the New York Times.