Health & Science – Page 9 – TheMinotVoice.com

What’s the cure for distracted driving — more or less responsibility?

by: Josh Wolsky | April 10, 2019

Self-driving and driver-assist technology is coming at us at a 65 miles per hour. Culturally, our response to adopt it will be closer to a reflex reaction than a calculated decision based on merits of the technology. But at least one driver is questioning whether more technology is the answer to curing our distracted driving

Read & Share sourced from: New York Times

Let’s be honest, there’s no such thing as a free bag

by: Josh Wolsky | December 6, 2018

If you weren’t aware, a group of passionate Minot citizens appealed to Minot’s City Council to take up the issue of single-use plastic — particularly disposable plastic bags. After months of information gathering and taking public comment, the group offered several recommendations intended to curb consumption. One of the primary recommendations is a 10-cent tax

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Teams searching for cheap way to stop algae blooms, with $10 million prize on the line

by: Josh Wolsky | July 17, 2018

You have an efficient, cost-effective way to remove phosphorous from freshwater bodies? If so, you may want to enter it into an innovation competition sponsored The Everglades Foundation in Florida. The prize: $10,000,000. Whether North or South, algae blooms are an increasing problem and one of the primary contributors is phosphorus-rich runoff that feeds the

Read & Share sourced from: NPR

Honeybees finding it harder to eat at America’s bee hot spot

by: Josh Wolsky | July 17, 2018

It wasn’t that long ago that the conservation lands of North Dakota and South Dakota were a refuge of sorts, for honey bees. But policy changes and rising commodity prices led to changes in land use and in a short period of time, we’ve lost a lot of prime habitat.

Read & Share sourced from: Associated Press

What Is Meat, Anyway?

by: Josh Wolsky | July 17, 2018

In a just-arising question, the answer to which is sure to have implications for North Dakota ranchers, we’ve found ourselves at a point in history where we’re asking — almost philosophically — what is meat? The question is born from the emerging technology that allows us to grow animal tissue in a lab. WIRED has

Read & Share sourced from: WIRED

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How to change your mind

by: Josh Wolsky | July 17, 2018

In this edition of Brain Pickings, Maria Popova dives into Michael Pollan’s recent work titled ‘How to Change Your Mind’. His work dives into new studies and neuroscience exploring the benefits of treating depression, addiction, and iminent mortality with a rediscovered catylst that’s proven effective and rewiring our perspectives.

Read & Share sourced from: Brain Pickings

Public engagement in local decisions evolving rapidly on the shoulders of technology

by: Josh Wolsky | July 17, 2018

How do we awaken citizens from their apathy and get them engaged with the decisions being made in their communities? One town in Colorado made an investment in technology, trashed the traditional model that only allowed input at live meetings, and catered to the lives of their citizens. The result is a cross-section of public

Read & Share sourced from: Strong Towns

Inside X, the Moonshot Factory Racing to Build the Next Google

by: Josh Wolsky | July 11, 2018

No, this isn’t the lead-in to an algebra joke. ‘X’ is the name of Google’s research and development factory — the place where the test out radical ideas to see if they can become viable companies. One of those, Loon, was the feature of a Minot Voice post long ago, and this article from WIRED captures

Read & Share sourced from: WIRED

More Recycling Won’t Solve Plastic Pollution

by: Josh Wolsky | July 8, 2018

Many residents in Minot want to see citywide recycling, but before we invest big in the facilities and equipment, perhaps we should ask — what problem is it we’re trying to solve? One answer we’d expect to hear is we need to reduce the amount of plastic entering the environment. If that’s the case, then Matt

Read & Share sourced from: Scientific American

Prairie Expedition Elm a disease-resistant, NDSU variety

by: Josh Wolsky | July 7, 2018

A new variety of elm tree, the Prairie Expedition Elm, was discovered South of Fargo among a stand of trees taken by Dutch elm disease. The disease-resistant tree was cloned and is now being cultivated commercially. It grows tall, grows fast, and makes great shade. The Grand Forks Herald has the story.

Read & Share sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

There’s No Limit to Longevity, Says Study Reviving Human Lifespan Debate

by: Josh Wolsky | July 6, 2018

How old is old? Depending on how youthful our spirit is, we’d all probably answer that question differently. But biologically speaking, there may be fewer to limits the upper reaches than we might assume. Scientific American has the article the sparks the debate on living forever — and not just figuratively.

Read & Share sourced from: Scientific American

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To help poor Americans live longer, doctors are copying Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Brazil

by: Josh Wolsky | July 6, 2018

What does a health care delivery model that’s working in some of the poorest parts of Africa have to do with health care in one of the wealthiest countries in the world? Everything when you acknowledge that the conditions on the reservations of the northern prairie are in dire need of improvement. Quartz has the

Read & Share sourced from: Quartz

Department of Health to open medical marijuana dispensary applications next week

by: Josh Wolsky | July 3, 2018

The long road to medical marijuana may be drawing to an end, but for Minot, the wait will be longer. The Department of Health will begin accepting applications for local dispensaries starting July 10, but only for the Bismarck and Fargo regions. Applications for the Minot region are expected to open until 2019. The Bismarck

Read & Share sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

In Winnipeg, ash borer battle is in full swing

by: Josh Wolsky | July 3, 2018

The Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive species that slowly kills ash trees, and in Winnipeg, they’re expecting to spend $90 million (not a typo) in the next ten years. Minot has a bit of geographical buffer, the problem is on the way. We’d do well to watch these other area efforts unfold as we

Read & Share sourced from: Winnipeg Free Press

The recycling game is rigged against consumers

by: Josh Wolsky | July 2, 2018

Minot recycling has been a contentious topic of late, and for those who support the effort, there are few reasons worthy of a delay. But circumstances far beyond Minot are wreaking havoc on the pillar of American environmentalism and forcing environmentalists to think differently about the practice. And one problem that’s been identified may surprise

Read & Share sourced from: Bloomberg

Physics can explain human innovation and enlightenment

by: Josh Wolsky | July 2, 2018

Have you ever had an object in your way but because it was always there or because you were used to where it sat, you walked around it? Or imagine a large obstruction being removed from a fast flowing river; everything is different after the object is removed. This is the foundation of the flow-theory

Read & Share sourced from: Quartz