Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
Randomness more than environmental selection is key to bacteria change in Arctic
From UNH News Service. Climatic outcomes at lower latitudes could be, in part, affected by changes to microbial communities in the Arctic, where the thawing of permafrost changes how microbes contribute to global greenhouse gas production. To further...
2020 was state’s deadliest year in recent history
NHPR crunched the numbers and found that more New Hampshire residents died in 2020 than any year on record, thanks to COVID-19. The story is here. An interesting tidbit is that not only did more people die, more died at home: "Medical providers cautioned early in the...
N.H. patents through April 4
By Targeted News Service The following patents were assigned in New Hampshire from March 28 to April 4. *** En Technology Assigned Patent for Digital Audio Communication, Control En Technology, Keene, New Hampshire, has been assigned a patent (No. 10,966,039,...
NH firm is cleaning up a nuclear-powered cruise ship (yes, cruise ship)
A New Hampshire company that has disposed of radioactive material for decades is part of a joint venture that recently won a $54 million contract to decommission one of the few non-military nuclear ships ever built. “The Savannah is a very, very interesting ship. It...
Feds fight NH’s LBRY over whether its crypto is a “security”
UPDATE: Discussion on the reddit subgroup r/newhampshire is pretty nuanced and seems well-informed: Check it out here. The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a civil suit against New Hampshire firm LBRY saying it "failure to register an offering of...
If you’ve gotta Zoom, Zoom local science-y stuff
Science talks online are suffering from the too-much-choice problem that TV shows have right now. The removal of artificial scarcity (having to be at the right location at the right time) means you can watch almost anything at almost any time. Paralysis from decision...
Cybersecurity Initiative for small businesses in N.H.
From UNH News Service: The NH Small Business Development Center (NH SBDC) at the University of New Hampshire and the NH Tech Alliance have teamed up to offer cybersecurity knowledge and resources to small businesses in the Granite State. According to research from the...
Liberty Utilities in-home battery storage program is chugging along
A reader recently asked about what's up with the Liberty Utilities program to use batteries in customers' homes around Hanover as a test of a virtual electricity-storage system to help stabilize the grid. This is the sort of decentralized system that many people (who...
Killing almost but not quite all of an invasive species can backfire
Green crabs are an invasive species on both coasts of the U.S. and are an increasing problem in New England waters. Because they're edible, some people think this is the case where human greed could help - turn them into a delicacy and we'll eat most of them. An...
‘Flash drought’ – is that really a thing? Increasingly, alas, yes
I hate to be the bearer of bad climate news, but there’s a new weather phenomenon to be worried about: Flash drought. That sounds like an oxymoron since “drought” usually reflects accumulated dryness rather than a quick-hit event. But as we saw last summer and fall,...
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