Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire

Dragonfly larvae are a sentinel to measure mercury pollution
By DAVID HIRSCH, Dartmouth News: A citizen science program that began over a decade ago has confirmed the use of dragonflies to measure mercury pollution, according to a study co-authored by Celia Chen, director of Dartmouth's Toxic Metals Superfund Research Program....

UNH says drones & multispectral pictures *can* see the forest for the trees
From UNH News Service: In a new study, University of New Hampshire researchers have concluded that when assessing forest imagery collected by unmanned aerial systems, an alternative method of delineating individual forest tree crowns within those images is more...
N.H. COVID numbers still look good-ish
(This column ran Monday with data from the previous week. Different data and different analysis can produce different conclusions, as I noted in this item in the paper Tuesday.) It’s a journalistic truism that, human nature being what it is, bad news sells papers....

Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, with live music
I have a feeling that a large percentage of my readers like old-time silent films, especially comedies. There's something about that pre-digital era that appeals to geek fans, as "steampunk" demonstrates. So let me make a pitch for my local indie movie house, the...
COVID deaths and doubling time
One of the measures of population growth is "doubling time" - the time it takes for a population to double in size. I've been tracking the total number of COVD-related deaths in New Hampshire (as compared to the average daily number, which is what I've been tracking...

Breeding isn’t resurrecting the chestnut tree; genetic engineering might
A long-running attempt to resurrect the American chestnut tree from the blight that virtually exterminated it – an attempt that can be seen in a Plymouth “germplasm conservation orchard” among other places – is now running on two tracks, one with traditional...
With KSC students returning, Keene eyes sewage as a COVID early warning system
Analyzing sewage from a wastewater treatment system for evidence of VODI-19 in the population is an interesting idea that's getting lots of attention - such as the Massachusetts firm Biobot, which is running pilot projects around the country. Keene State College is...
New Hampshire’s 603 area code is safe – but it could be safer
One of the iconic symbols of New Hampshire, our 603 area code, is safe for now but a tweak to the telecommunications system would make it even safer, not to mention helping keep the whole country from having to dial 11 or even 12 digits to make a call. That’s the...
New pathways could help treat RNA viruses
From UNH News Service: Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have identified new pathways in an RNA-based virus where inhibitors, like medical treatments, unbind. The finding could be beneficial in understanding how these inhibitors react and potentially help...

COVID tracking numbers remain good but slow test results are a concern
This is the Monitor’s latest weekly look at measurements of four goals designed to give a sense of how well New Hampshire is doing at controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. The numbers continue looking good. Before we get to the details, however, let’s consider an...