Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
NH governor vetoes law to make it easier to skip vaccines
In a pleasant surprise, Gov. Ayotte has vetoed (that is, killed) House Bill 358, which would make it easier for parents to apply for religious exemptions to child vaccine requirements in school. New Hampshire used to have a very good rate of vaccination for kids...
As quantum mechanics turns 100, it is sneaking into everyday life
There is no science more removed from practical life than quantum mechanics. Or so I thought. In the 100 years since it was first developed — 2025 is the field’s centenary year, more or less — the physics of the very small has done away with almost everything we take...
How to get weather emergency alerts
The flooding in Texas. North Carolina and New York City, wildfires in Canada and record-breaking heat in New England are reminders that the supercharged climate means disaster can strike anywhere at any time. It also means that interest in weather alerts and emergency...
NH patents through July 13
(Links to each patent can be found here, using the patent number or inventor’s name.) By Targeted News Service WASHINGTON – The following federal patents were assigned in New Hampshire through July 13. Measuring Abrasive Flow Rates in a ConduitHYPERTHERM, INC.,...
NH patents through July 13
(Links to each patent can be found here, using the patent number or inventor’s name.) By Targeted News Service WASHINGTON – The following federal patents were assigned in New Hampshire through July 13.Measuring Abrasive Flow Rates in a ConduitHYPERTHERM, INC.,...
Dartmouth grad got a Super Bowl ring, but …
A Dartmouth grad got a Super Bowl ring, reports the college. But for geeky reasons. She is a quantitative analyst for the Eagles, a numbers guru who helps make sense of the nearly infinite data points available to her employer. She and her colleagues make data-driven...
Heat domes are confounding forecasters
Bloomberg Green has a story about heat domes, like the one that roasted us last week, and how their behavior is confounding weather forecasters. (The whole story is behind a paywall but you can read most of it if you subscribe to their Green Daily newsletter.)...
Backpacks on birds
OK, they're not really backpacks, they're solar-powered tags that let UNH researchers see where the salt marsh sparrows are going as part of preservation efforts. Sensors in the field spick up signals as the birds fly by. NHPR has the story here. The relationship...
Solar, batteries saved us many millions during the heat dome
Canary Media looked at New England's response to the recent heat dome and said, as I have, that 21st-century energy (solar, batteries) saved our bacon: As temperatures across New England soared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in recent weeks, solar panels and batteries...

How to make a space suit (sewing machines are involved)
NOTE: Her talk is Thursday, July 9. Nancy-Lee Rodden was given an unexpected task after she got an accounting degree in college and started working. “One of my first jobs was to figure out how much it cost to build a space suit,” said Rodden, a native of Nashua. The...