Science & Technology – Page 10

Germany Proposes Massive Fines For Parents Who Don’t Vaccinate Kids Against Measles

by: Josh Wolsky | May 7, 2019

It’s not been a regular topic on TheMinotVoice, but in the larger media realm, vaccinations and the re-emergence of measles are part of the constant news cycle. It’s all part of the larger question of what can — and/or should — the ‘state’ force us to do? In Germany, the solution to the vaccination question

Read & Share sourced from: The Washington Post

“I don’t plan to die:” The immortality movement is going mainstream

by: Josh Wolsky | May 7, 2019

Want to live forever? Have we got a club for you! Behind this Quartz paywall, you can dig into the topic of staying out of the ground. The story follows a small thread that’s been recurring on TheMinotVoice over the past weeks that will culminate with tomorrow’s #GoodTalkMinot episode on the evolution of funerals. Tune

Read & Share sourced from: Quartz

Everyone hates passwords. Good news: They’re about to die

by: Josh Wolsky | May 7, 2019

If you’re among the high percentage of people who use ‘password’ for your password, don’t worry — your days of the annoying security prompts are numbered. It turns out passwords aren’t the best or even the expected security solution for the future; check out the article linked below from Fast Company to see where we’re

Read & Share sourced from: Fast Company

Earth a less and less hospitable environment for non-human species, agriculture a culprit

by: Josh Wolsky | May 6, 2019

One report is back, and the findings are bleak. Human activity is making life on Earth tough for those species that cohabit our planet. Why does this matter for Minot? One, we live on Earth. Two, agriculture is playing a large role in this species extinction trend. As the global impacts of these transformations become

Read & Share sourced from: Nature

North Dakota’s ‘grow our own’ strategy aims to tackle doctor shortage

by: Josh Wolsky | May 6, 2019

Where do we get our doctors? Most medical providers are faced with the question, and the problem isn’t unique to Minot or North Dakota. In Fargo, Sanford is finding that adding residency programs gives them an inside track to hiring directly after training is completed. Up the road in Grand Forks, UND Medical School has

Read & Share sourced from: InForum

State’s Department of Environmental Quality formally established

by: Josh Wolsky | May 5, 2019

It’s taken two years to complete the separation, but North Dakota’s Department of Environmental Quality is officially up and running. These services and mission were previously captured under the Department of Health, but in 2017, the legislature passed a bill to establish the stand-alone environmental agency.

Read & Share sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

‘I want out of this body’: Unable to move or talk, but still here

by: Josh Wolsky | May 5, 2019

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be fully woke, but trapped inside of a body that didn’t work? Few things are scarier to contemplate, but these perspectives are important. Rahul Desikan is a neuroscientist who’s living just such a life and he shared his experience in this commentary on the Washington

Read & Share sourced from: The Washington Post

Future of Farming: Fargo claims first automated farm, hoping for support environment that goes with it

by: Josh Wolsky | May 4, 2019

What does the future of farming look like? If you’re in the camp that believes the march of technology is unstoppable, than you’re probably willing to bet on automation. Testing that automation in a literal field is a first step to wider introduction. Check out this story from Inforum to see how Fargo is moving

Read & Share sourced from: InForum

This is what you’ll find in the dark spots of the Minot sky — if you look closely for a long time

by: Josh Wolsky | May 4, 2019

We know the universe is big, but we’re consistently challenged by contemplating the full scope of what ‘big’ really means. Here’s a helper image. The image below shows an estimated 265,000 galaxies. Some dating back to more than 13.3 billion years ago — back when the universe was young. And while those numbers are impressive

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Zebra mussel larva found in source of Winnipeg’s drinking water

by: Josh Wolsky | May 1, 2019

Zebra mussels wreak havoc. On boats, on water systems, on environments that they’re new to. And they’re coming. The North Dakota took steps this session to act more aggressively in coming years, here’s yet another sign that their action was prudent.

Read & Share sourced from: Winnipeg Free Press

Biologists alarmed by rate of dolphin deaths near Mississippi River

by: Josh Wolsky | May 1, 2019

Does our environment speak to us when things are going astray? According to biologists in Louisiana, yes. And the message that’s being sent is as sad as it is gruesome — dolphins dying at alarming rates. Check out this canary in the coal mine story from the mouth of the Mississippi River. And why does

Read & Share sourced from: 4WWL

Lake Sakakawea remains one of the best walleye waters

by: Doug Leier | May 1, 2019

You often hear veteran anglers and biologists refer to the current status of North Dakota’s fisheries as “the good old days.” Of course, that’s a general reference and each individual water is unique. Some are doing better than others and at the moment one of those “better” waters is Lake Sakakawea. North Dakota Game and

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Teen Suicide Spiked After Debut Of Netflix’s ’13 Reasons Why,’ Study Says

by: Josh Wolsky | April 30, 2019

Television watching is vastly different today than it was even 10 years ago. Binge-watching and the viral-like consumption of content are major differences. And in the one case of one popular Netflix show from a few years ago with suicide story-line, researchers identified a spike in teen suicide following the release. While the researchers are

Read & Share sourced from: NPR

More cities recognizing value in restoring rivers

by: Josh Wolsky | April 29, 2019

What have we learned about past river management practices across the country? Mostly, we weren’t very good at it, and the things we did to help ourselves in the past have expensive consequences today. In Minot, we’re just waking up to the reality created by our past attempts at flood protection. Locally, we call them

Read & Share sourced from: Associated Press

Temperatures up, snow melting earlier in Western U.S.

by: Josh Wolsky | April 29, 2019

In the story below, you’ll read about North Dakota’s recently lower grades on air quality. The culprit is Western fires. If you follow this link through to the Washington Post, you’ll read that temperatures in the Western U.S. average 2 degrees warmer and snow melts a month earlier than 50 years ago. One result: more

Read & Share sourced from: The Washington Post

North Dakota gets low grades for air quality, Western fires the culprit

by: Josh Wolsky | April 29, 2019

When we think about North Dakota’s environment, most of us are pretty proud. But when it comes to air quality, our self-inflated perspective may be full of contaminated air — especially when the Western fires are burning. Get the full story from the Bismarck Tribune.

Read & Share sourced from: Bismarck Tribune