Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
N.H. once had 172 ski areas that are now closed – yes, 172!
In the 1950s and 1960s, a ton of little ski areas opened through New England: Any farmer with a big slanted field would haul an old Ford engine to the top and make a rope tow, trying to get a few bucks in the winter. Virtually all of them shut down in the 1970s...
The fungus that kills gypsy moths has scientists puzzled
One of the biocontrol successes of recent years involves the fungus Entomophaga maimaiga, which was introduced into the U.S. to control the gypsy moth caterpillar. It has worked pretty well, turning a forest-destroying scourge into an occasionally irritating pest. But...
The Chinese are making Segway work, but not only with a Segway
Segway occupies a weird space in the history of New Hampshire industry. The self-balancing vehicle developed by Dean Kamen and his merry band of R&D elves at DEKA in Manchester in 2001 may be the best-known invention ever to come out of the state, but it's also...
Maine would be great for a spaceport if you want polar flights
Big, empty military bases always produce lots of big ideas for reuse. Here's a big idea for the former Loring Air Force Base in northern Maine: Turn it into a spaceport. The Brunwick Daily News reports (read the whole thing here) that the proposal would concentrate on...
New approach to ‘artificial photosynthesis’ from UNH lab
From UNH News Service: Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have identified new, readily available materials that convert sunlight and carbon dioxide (CO2) into building blocks for liquid fuels. “Currently we can convert sunlight into electricity using solar...
More details about that ‘bring your own battery’ utility plan
I wrote last week about innovative program that Liberty Utilities' electric system is testing in New Hampshire, putting subsidized Tesla Powerwalls into customers homes to help regulate the grid, and also allowing other companies to participate via a "bring your own...
‘Bring your own battery’ program may come to N.H. homes
New Hampshire may soon become part of the home-battery experiment, as Liberty Utilities is nearing approval on a plan to help 250 of their customers install the systems, with hundreds more open to participation by other companies. “It’s amazing to see a small utility...
Is SNHU really a ‘mega-university’ of the future?
The Chronicle for Higher Education, sort of the Wall Street Journal of the college-and-university industry, has a long look at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester that calls it a 'mega-university' whose push into online education is indicative of the...
Lurking underground in Massachusetts: Giant viruses!!!
Viruses are so simple that you can argue whether or not they're alive - they're basically a packet of DNA that injects itself into other living things. But it turns out that this DNA is more interesting than I thought, judging from a new paper based on work at the...
Sorry, but your friend is wrong: There are no mountain lions in N.H.
There are certain topics that I know will draw strong reader reaction whenever I touch them. They include a few obvious candidates - climate change, vaccination, public water fluoridation - but there's one that might surprise you: Mountain lions. As I have written...
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