Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
A fence on the Canadian border – yeah, right
As a kid I remember learning that the US/Canada border is the longest undefended national border in the world, and I imagine this still holds true; I don't think Russia and China have dropped their respective guards. So it's kind of funny that one of the presidential...
Maine wonders: Where have its coastal mussels gone?
“It used to be that mussels were covering over half the space in the intertidal zone. More than 50 percent of the space and now they are covering typically less than 10 percent. They have gone from this species that basically defined the rocky coastline to being a...
It takes 1.2 years of minimum-wage work to pay for 1 year of UNH
If you make minimum wage and go to UNH without any financial aid, it will take 1.2 years of full-time work to pay for 1 year of tuition - the second-worst rate of any state. (Pennsylvania is slightly worse). That's according to an article from the Chronicle of Higher...
N.H. still has excellent toddler vaccination rate
New Hampshire has the third-highest vaccination rate for toddlers (19 to 35 months) among all states, according to the latest release from the Centers for Disease Control (the whole polysyllabic report is here). The overall rate of vaccination was 80.4 percent, plus...
“Media properties” sounds much better than “some written stuff”
I have just registered Granite Geek as a trade name with the New Hampshire Secretary of State, something I've been meaning to do for years. It cost fifty bucks, but now I'm official owner of the name "Granite Geek Media Properties." Woo-hoo! What's with that pompous...
“Sea level” isn’t all that level, and it’s getting higher
NASA has released new satellite data detailing sea-level rise, which is partly caused by warming oceans (water expands as temperature rises) and partly by melting glaciers or polar ice pack. The general message is that the increase is happening at the upper end of...
It’s not just Lyme disease: Ticks are a growing global health problem
Nature has an excellent, detailed article (read it here) about what appears to be a growing global problem with tick-born illnesses. It's not just Lyme disease and not just New England. One possible cause, says the article, is mice: Mice, like deer, flourish in...
Birds of a feather hybridize together, says UNH
By Lori Wright, UNH News Service: Among birds, the line between species is often blurry. Some closely related species interbreed where their ranges overlap, producing hybrid offspring that can backcross with either parent species, until a whole population of...
Science on Tap is moving to a different tap
Science on Tap, the monthly science cafe in Manchester run by the SEE Science Museum, is moving. Its Sept. 8 session, titled "Humans and Space: Is Mars in the Future?" will be at the Foundry Restaurant, 50 Commercial St. Panelists are: Chris Carberry: the Executive...
Linux turns 24
On Aug. 25, 1991, Linus Torvalds first announced Linux. Penguins have never been the same since. I got the above license plate when doing one of many stories I have written about Jon "maddog" Hall of Amherst, NH. (No commentary on any presidential candidates...
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