I find it very strange that in the past two weeks, two entirely different stories concerning scientific studies of cigarette smoking have come to definitive conclusions. It affects 1.7 million people in the USA at present. In most basic terms, AMD is caused by harmful molecules called free radicals and poor blood flow. As the eye tries to repair itself, scar tissue forms, making the problem worse. There is no effective treatment to repair this damage.
Smoking reduces the levels of antioxidants and impairs blood circulation.
The other story concerns research by the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the Beckman Research Institute of California on the effects of a cigarette smoke ingredient on a human gene known as p53. This gene is vital because it acts to suppress the growth of cancer tumors. It is a known fact that in lung cancers, most of the defects in p53 occur at three specific points on the DNA molecule. Scientists have conclusively and directly linked smoking and lung cancer. As to astronomy , the Southern Taurid meteor shower peaks on Nov. 2 but the waning full moon interferes.