Pondering the Importance of Light
Light touches our lives in so many diverse ways, yet it is easy to take it for granted. Think back to the last time your power went out. Did it last for minutes, hours or days? How did being without easily accessible light make you feel? Have you noticed different types of light make reading more or less easy? Do you feel kind of sad and tired when there are several cloudy days in a row?
Without the sun's light we and everything else on Earth would fail to thrive. The light that we observe with our eyes is but a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The other members of this elite group of light rays are, in order from the slowest frequency to the fastest: radio waves, microwaves, infrared, ultraviolet, x-rays and gamma rays. Our friend visible light falls right in the middle of this scale, between infrared and ultraviolet.
We have come a long way from the gas and oil lights of the 1700-1800s. Soon the incandescent bulb, invented by Thomas Edison in 1879, will be banned from further manufacture and replaced by newer more energy efficient technology.
Research into how light effects the well being of humans and other species is beginning to help those who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) The effects of different light spectrums on other disorders and diseases, including tumors, is also being explored.
For more illumination on the subject of light check out the following resources.
Books:
Winter Blues: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder by Norman E. Rosenthal
Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light by Jane Brox
Green Lighting: How Energy-Efficient Lighting Can Save You Energy and Money and Reduce Your Carbon Footprint by Seth Leitman et al Sun Power: a Book about Renewable Energy by Esther Porter The Secret Lanaguage of Color: Science, Nature, History, Culture, Beauty of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Violet by Joann Eckstut and Arielle Eckstut Available through Hoopla: Show Me Science Earth Science - Meteorology: Lightning - Mysterious Power Other Online Sources: Targeted Light Therapy Destroys Cancer Cells from National Institutes of Health Light Therapy for Conditions Other than Seasonal Affective Disorder from Harvard Medical School Solar from the Institute for Energy Research Solar-Power Device Would Use Heat to Enhance Efficiency from Science Daily Bought Any Light Bulbs Lately? by Jim Beam 
Solar Power for your Home by David S. Findley
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