While You Sleep, Your Eyes Are Busy Cleaning

Every night while you sleep, a microscopic cleaning crew moves through your eyes and flushes out the biochemical debris — a recovery process your retinas depend on after long days of processing faces, screens, and an endless stream of digital content. Wake up rested and you’ll never notice the cleaning crew was there. Wake up without enough sleep, and your eyes will spend the day telling you something went wrong in ways most people never connect to the previous night’s sleep — dry eyes and blurry vision. Scientists have known for more than a decade that the brain runs its overnight waste-clearance operation called the glymphatic system. Sleep helps our neural tissues clean up built-up inflammation and fluid that’s associated with diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and retinal disorders. So, you can thank your overnight cleaning crew for caring for your eyes.

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Here’s What It Means If You See a Blue Traffic Light

Almost everyone knows what the colors red, yellow and green mean on a traffic light, but what about blue? In some parts of the United States, drivers have spotted the addition of a bright blue light mounted near traffic signals and have been totally confused about what they mean. A blue light is designed to help law enforcement monitor whether the traffic signal is displaying a red light. Its whole purpose is to let police know if someone has run a red light. You won’t see the blue light in an extra circle on the traffic light, but typically mounted above the traffic signal. These blue lights are electrically linked to red lights on one or more of the approaches to the intersection. Police use them to observe the red light when they're in a location where they can't actually see it. So, when the red-light traffic signal indicator is illuminated, so is the blue light. The blue light makes it more efficient, since you need fewer officers to keep their eyes on the same stretch of road. They also reduce the need for officers to cross the intersection against a red light to pursue a driver who has run the signal. The color blue was chosen to avoid sending mixed signals. Since blue isn’t recognized as a standard traffic signal, drivers are less likely to mistake it for a signal telling them to stop, slow down, or go. You may not see a blue light, as they are scattered at best. They're most prevalent in Florida and Colorado. What should you do if you see one? Unless you've just run a red light, you need not do anything. If, on the other hand, you have blown through a red light, you should probably check your rear-view mirror for a police car. 

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Snoop Dogg Will Pay You $10,000 a Month To Taste Ice Cream

Finding out that Snoop Dogg has a family-owned ice cream company is probably not something you expected to learn today, but here we are. Dubbed Dr. Bombay, the line launched in 2023 and has since quietly scooped up retail partners across the country. Currently, Dr. Bombay is available at Walmart, 7-Eleven, Jewel-Osco, Speedway, Gopuff and a handful of other retailers. The line features seven flavors, including Baked Blueberry Muffin, It’s Peanut Butter Jelly Time, Strawberry Cream Dream, Tropical Sherbet Swizzle, Iced Out Orange Cream, Sticky Caramel Apple and Long Beach Fruit Cart. Now the Doggfather is looking to pay one lucky person a $10,000 monthly salary to become Dr. Bombay’s full-time international ice cream taster. He has teamed up with global hiring platform Deel to find the perfect person for the role. Dr. Bombay is accepting applications from anywhere in the world. So, if you think you have the perfect palate for the job, you can apply through Deel.

 

 

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Chicken Pumpkin Pasta

With fall approaching, you can be sure that all things pumpkin are beginning to emerge. The good news is that pumpkin isn’t just reserved for beverages, muffins, and pies. Instead, try using it as a savory dinner entree with this easy pumpkin pasta recipe that comes together in minutes. It’s rich, creamy, flavorful, and totally family-friendly.

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 3 cups uncooked gemelli or spiral pasta (about 12 ounces)

• 1½ cups chicken sausage (flavor of your choice)

• 1 cup canned pumpkin

• 1 cup Half-and-Half 

• ¾ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp pepper

• 1½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

• Minced fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions:

• Cook pasta according to the package directions.

• Drain, pasta, reserving ¾ cup pasta water.

• Sauté sausage over medium heat until lightly browned.

• Add pumpkin, cream, salt and pepper.

• Cook on medium-low until heated through.

• Toss with pasta and enough pasta water to moisten.

• Stir in cheese until mixed well.

• Sprinkle with cilantro (optional).

 

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