Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
Tomorrow at Science Cafe in Nashua: Gene editing and CRISPR
Nashua will get a chance to discuss gene editing via the incredibly powerful technology known as CRISPR at Science Cafe NH tomorrow in Nashua. Science Cafe Concord discussed it last month, but there's plenty to discuss - attending both events would be worthwhile. As...
Is it smart to cut down trees before invasive bugs can kill them?
What do you do when you think that invasive insects are going to kill trees? You can try to save them, but if you're facing problems like the emerald ash borer or red pine scale, that's pretty hopeless - so instead you can cut them down while they're still relatively...
Recent patents in N.H.
The following federal patents were assigned to individuals and companies in New Hampshire. Schlumberger Technology, Sugar Land, Texas, has been assigned a patent (9,304,226) developed by four co-inventors for a “scintillator-based neutron detector for oilfield...
Trees too small to sell might be turned into “nanocellulose”
A research project in Madison, Wisconsin, is trying to take trees too small to be sold for lumber or energy biomass and turn them into a marketable product via "nanocellulose", reports USDA' Forest Products Laboratory (story here): Scientists are working with local...
Parasitic wasp might be – that’s “might be”, not “is” – attacking ash borer larva
Reports UNH Cooperative Extension (full item here): Two years ago, in May 2014, the N.H. Division of Forests and Lands released parasitic wasps at three sites in Concord and Canterbury in an attempt to control emerald ash borer (EAB) populations with natural predators...
Miss the Science Cafe on self-driving cars? Now you can watch it
Concord TV has posted a condensed (30-minute) version of the most recent Science Cafe Concord, concerning autonomous cars. If you missed it, check it out right here.
My brilliant idea: Rent a raptor to attack annoying drones
This morning I was a guest on the NH Public Radio talk show "The Exchange," talking about state and federal response to drones, when I had a brilliant idea. We were discussing how to react if a drone does something illegal, like hover in front of your bedroom window...
The success of AlphaGo has gotten me worried about the future of humanity
(This is my column in the Concord Monitor today): When a computer beat one of the world’s best players at the ancient Asian board game known as Go last month, a lot of people around the world were excited, but a surprising number were dismayed. Count me among the...
Why not a “fact box” of risks and successes for drugs, like nutrition factboxes on food?
Ideas to help Americans get healthier don’t usually spring from sugary breakfast cereals. But there are always exceptions, and a new company formed by a pair of Dartmouth professors is one. “We were trying to figure out how to do this and the answer came at...
Recent patents in New Hampshire
The following federal patents were assigned recently to companies or individuals in New Hampshire. TomTom North America, Lebanon, N.H., has been assigned a patent (9,301,099) developed by James Alan Witmer, Lebanon, N.H., for a “method of analyzing points of interest...
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