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But there's something much more troubling than wasted money about losing the night.A <br /> growu�►g body of biological research suggests that nighttime lighting messes with the <br /> circadian rhythms of humans and other animals,wreal�ng havoc on everytkung from <br /> sleep patterns to DNA repair. <br /> 9tudies have shown that nighttime light exposure is a risk factor for some cancers, <br /> � diabetes,heart disease and obesity.As scientists continue to gather evidence,the <br /> �lmencan Medical Association has already recommended that ciries reduce light <br /> pollution and that people avoid staring at electronic screens after dark <br /> LEDs are of particular concern.Cities around the world are mnverting from traditional <br /> yellow sodium-vapor lamps,k,hich�theu.light in a narrow range,to broad-spectnun <br /> �D streeti�gllts•I,os�1nBeles has installed 165,000 LEDs in recent years,slashing <br /> streetlight energy use by 60 percent and netting$8 million in enerSY savings annually. <br /> The problem is that these bright lamps increase skyglow by emitting more blue light <br /> than the older technology.They also could have unintended effects on wildlife,Artificial <br /> li8hts can disrupt navigation,mating and feeding among the many nocturnal animais <br /> that share our cities. <br /> A University of Bristol study published this month showed that certain moths can't <br /> perform evasive maneuvers against predatory bats under LEDs.And recent research in <br /> New Zealand shows that some insects are 4g percent more attracted to the new LEDs <br /> than they were to the old-fashioned lights.The researchers wom,that widespread use of <br /> the new technology will create a`�vhite-light night"that intensifies light pollution's <br /> pressure on ecosystems, <br /> 'The Psychological loss is less measurable. <br /> When the 1994 Northridge earthquake hit Los Angeles,some area residents actually <br /> called 911 to report a strange cloud hovering overhead—it was the Milky Way,the <br /> nebulous and staz-rich center of our galaxy. <br /> What happens when people grow up without stars?Do they lose their connection to the <br /> cosmos that our ancestors tracked so carefully,night aftex.�p,�t? <br /> Eric Betz is an editor for Astronomy magnzine,He wrote this article for the Los Angeles <br /> Times. <br />