Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
2022 was hard on motorcyclists in NH, but not pedestrians
In the middle of last year I wrote a piece concerning higher-than-normal deaths of everybody using NH roads, including pedestrians and bicyclists. The pattern, however, didn't continue: Here's the year-end summary: More motorcyclists died on New Hampshire roads in...
Some 21st century energy ideas considered by NH legislature
Two new-energy bills amid the avalanche of proposals being considered by the state legislature have caught my attention: one to boost various 21st century ideas like vehicle-to-grid and “transactive energy,” and another to boost “green hydrogen.” The hydrogen bill...
Chasing STEM via outdoor recreation
Have you ever thought “I’m just not a math person”? If so, how are you at fixing snowmobiles? The connection between backwood winter transportation and the quadratic equation may not be obvious to you, but some people would like to change that. “Hopefully we’re...
N.H. patents through Feb. 19
(Links to each patent can be found here, using the patent number.) By Targeted News Service WASHINGTON – The following federal patents were assigned in New Hampshire through Feb. 19. *** *** Evaporative Cooling for Transducer Array BAE SYSTEMS INFORMATION AND...
Earliest mud season ever? Maybe
You’re not imagining it: Mud season has arrived and it’s early, maybe the earliest ever. On Friday the state began posting weight limits on roads to keep heavy vehicles from damaging pavement as it thaws and buckles. The N.H. Department of Transportation makes this...
To spot COVID, we probably need repeat rapid tests
COVID is still around (close to 100 people are hospitalized with COVID in NH every day and that figure is not going down, as my chart shows) and we're still learning how to deal with it. The feds have issued new guidelines (yeah, I know, but they're the best we've...
Genetically altered trees planted in the wild – but they’re not chestnuts
I've reported many time on efforts to restore the American chestnut with a genetically modified version that isn't affected by the blight. (Here's a story from last June.) If approved by regulators, it was going to be the first GMO tree released in the wild. Or not....
A ‘tiny home’ development in Dover
WMUR has a quick story about a development of "tiny homes" - under 400 sq. ft. - in Dover. Here it is. When seacoastonline did a story, they called them "cottage homes" which is less sexy and probably worse for SEO but maybe more accurate. NH Business Review had a...
What secrets lurk in New Hampshire’s bat poop?
When you start a scientific research project, you never know what you’re going to find. Here’s one thing that Devon O’Rourke found during his Ph.D. work at UNH: “I did not suspect that so many folks were going to be that excited about picking up bat guano.” This...
‘Duck curve days’ are growing in N.E. as rooftop solar expands
From ISO New England: (whole release is here) On a sunny, mild Sunday afternoon last spring, demand for electricity from the region’s power grid fell to the lowest level ever seen by ISO New England’s system operators. May 1 was a day for the record books,...
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