Twins for twins... showjumping girls get matching foals
SCIENTISTS believe that staring at a deep red light for just three minutes a day helps improve declining eyesight.
Researchers gave people a small LED torch and asked them to look into its light beam every day for two weeks.The light has a wavelength of 670 nanometres – where a nanometre (nm) is a billionth of a metre – and is safely within the red section of the visible spectrum.
Significant
Professor Glen Jeffery, of University College London said: “Our study shows that it is possible to significantly improve vision that has declined in aged individuals using simple, brief exposures to light wavelengths that recharge the energy system that has declined in the retina cells, rather like re-charging a battery.
“The technology is simple and very safe, using a deep red light of a specific wavelength, that is absorbed by mitochondria in the retina that supply energy for cellular function.
“Our devices cost about £12 to make, so the technology is highly accessible to members of the public.”
YES, you are seeing double...these showjumping twins have had twin ponies created for them using “IVF” – just like they were.
Eight-year-olds Daisy and Issy James-Wright, who compete for their country, need bigger horses for when they reach their teens.
But their mum Katherine James, 47, knew she wouldn’t be able to afford £200,000 for two top-notch ponies, so she decided to breed them herself. She had frozen sperm
There are around 12million people aged over 65 in the UK.
In 50 years this will increase to around 20million and all will have some degree of visual decline because of retinal ageing, scientists said. At from a champion horse she sold in 2015 artificially inseminated into Issy’s mare Back In The Black, and the embryo was transferred into a surrogate pony. The procedure was repeated a month later, using another surrogate.
Foals Vinvictory and Vinabelle were born on May 6 and June 6. Katherine, who lives near Cardiff, used IVF with husband Steve, 56, to around 40 years old, cells in the retina begin to age and the pace of this ageing is partly caused when the cell’s mitochondria, whose role is to produce energy and boost cell function, also start to decline. Prof fall pregnant after three years of trying. She said: “We did for the foals what we did for having my own girls. But it’s dangerous for a horse to carry twins, so surrogates were the safest way.”
Issy got to choose first, as her horse was the mum, but she let Daisy decide. Both girls represent Wales at British Showjumping events. Issy said of the foals: “I’m most looking forward to me and Daisy raising them up really good.”