Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
Canada lynx sightings point to success in conservation efforts
Canada lynx, the big-footed cousin of bobcats, are making it back into northern New England, as VTDigger notes in this story, which understandably has a Vermont focus. No guarantees it will continue, of course, but let's hope. “The future presence of lynx in Vermont...
Don’t believe Einstein? Then explain Santa Claus!
There's no Granite Geek next week - it's Christmas after all! - so here's an advance look at next week's Monitor column. There’s a standard way to shut down physics cranks who say they’ve disproved Einstein –for some reason, cranks never “disprove” scientists who...
Looking for a (probably extinct) New Hampshire trout, via YouTube
It’s embarrassing that it took a guy from New York to teach me a cool piece of ecological history in a local spot I’ve been to multiple times. And via YouTube, no less – egad! The spot is Dublin Pond, also called Dublin Lake, which is halfway between Peterborough and...
Childhood flu vaccination is falling here, there and everywhere
Childhood flu vaccination is down 7% nationally this year compared to last year and the decline is a lot worse locally, reports Axios Boston: In Massachusetts, 58.7% of kids were vaccinated in the 2023-2024 season compared to 53.6% in the current 2024-2025 season (as...
Plymouth State gets grant to develop first-of-its-kind Snow Drought index
From PSU: With a two-year, $192,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), researchers at the Judd Gregg Meteorology Institute at Plymouth State University (PSU) will comb through nearly a century’s worth of snowpack data from across...
Governor admits free market can’t handle vital medical industry, urges government control
That headline isn't the way Gov. Sununu would put it but that's the essence of his letter to the Biden administration - here's an IndepthNH story about it - in which he said the administration needs to “become the leader of this national issue rather than outsourcing...
NH patents through Dec. 15
(Links to each patent can be found here, using the patent number or inventor’s name.) By Targeted News Service WASHINGTON – The following federal patents were assigned in New Hampshire through Dec. 15. *** Packaged Current Sensor Integrated Circuit ALLEGRO...
December snow-killing “rain on snow” events have increased by 46%
After yet another warm-rain-killing-snowpack event, New Hampshire Bulletin reports on analysis showing that it's not our imagination: they really have increased. ROS days increased 17 percent between 1981-2010 and 1991-2020, Peachey found. Even more telling is that...
Multi-pronged tussle over N.H. state energy policy roles
UPDATED TO FIX LINK If you like seeing how the sausage is made, as they say, check out the detailed New Hampshire Bulletin article about upcoming struggle over the role of various regulators in shaping New Hampshire's energy policy. Basically, there is disagreement...
Using A.I. ‘is almost like dealing with an alien intelligence’
Dartmouth Health sent out this article about a study of using A.I. to analyze radiographs (X-rays, to you and me). The whole article is linked below, but I want to highlight this quote because it's really interesting: “It is incredibly easy to fall into the trap of...