Science & Technology – Page 15

For Newborns Exposed To Opioids, Health Issues May Be The Least Of Their Problems

by: Josh Wolsky | July 1, 2017

There’s some good news; the short-term withdrawal symptoms of babies exposed to opioids in the womb are manageable. The bad news, the same child is likely to start life in a difficult home environment, and the consequences of that are often much more significant. This interview-article from NPR presents a perspective worth noting as we

Read & Share sourced from: NPR

A huge dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico will soon change how you order seafood

by: Josh Wolsky | June 30, 2017

The headline is direct from the Quartz article, so the implications of the Gulf of Mexico dead zone won’t likely soon change the way we order seafood here in North Dakota — because we don’t order a lot of seafood. But we are opposed to the Waters of the U.S. rule here, which has been

Read & Share sourced from: Quartz

Western governors back Endangered Species Act, with changes

by: Josh Wolsky | June 29, 2017

The Western Governors Association, an association of 22-western Governors, met in Montana recently. Among the topics of business, a discussion and ultimately a resolution in support of the Endangered Species Act with a few caveats. Some of the concerns are that states have a larger voice in the federal decisions that impact them and that

Read & Share sourced from: Associated Press

UND wins $3.8 million for substance abuse services

by: Josh Wolsky | June 29, 2017

The personal fights have always been there. But now with the attention of politicians caught, it seems the funding to fight the drug abuse and addiction problems is starting to follow. Andrew Haffner with the Grand Forks Herald has the story on a $3.8 million grant for UND and how they’ll use the resources.

Read & Share sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

The life-changing magic of getting a person to change their mind—even yourself

by: Josh Wolsky | June 29, 2017

With those we care about, we try and try and try. Sometimes we need to do it ourselves, but we resist. Yes, I’m talking about change, particularly of our minds. And as our knowledge of how our brains work starts to align with observed behavior, we’re starting to get confirmation that changing minds is possible.

Read & Share sourced from: Aeon

Burgum declares statewide fire, drought emergency

by: Josh Wolsky | June 27, 2017

Governor Burgum declared a statewide drought emergency; the action allows the National Guard to be activated if necessary. “These conditions present a serious threat to the health and safety of local area citizens and their personal property,” Burgum said in a statement. “Significant manpower and equipment will be required for response and recovery operations.”

Read & Share sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

Scientific American Labels Precision Farming as a Technology to Watch

by: Josh Wolsky | June 26, 2017

We all gotta eat, the world’s population keeps on growing. And we don’t seem to be growing a lot of new land, so we’re going to have to feed the growing population with the food production areas already in use. And toward that end, precision farming is a concept that has a high ceiling. Companies

Read & Share sourced from: Scientific American

SD congresswoman’s family-based substance abuse treatment bill passes House

by: Josh Wolsky | June 26, 2017

Last week, the U.S. House unanimously passed the Supporting Families in Substance Abuse Treatment Act. The program allows foster care dollars to go towards keeping families together while parents in trouble because of drug abuse stay in a treatment center that can accommodate the whole family.

Read & Share sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

How Sweden is pushing toward the seemingly impossible goal of zero emissions

by: Josh Wolsky | June 26, 2017

Our distant Scandinavian relatives have built themselves some pretty sustainable energy infrastructure, just 5% of Sweden’s energy comes from fossil fuels. But they’ve set an even higher goal — be 100% sustainable by 2045. And the problems they have to solve in order to get there and the manner in which they’re attempting to solve

Read & Share sourced from: Quartz

Health Department warns of cyanotoxin in North Dakota waters, animal deaths reported

by: Josh Wolsky | June 24, 2017

The hotter-than-usual weather combined with little rain has sped up mother nature’s clock when it comes to creating ripe conditions for blue-green algae development. The blue-green algae release cyanotoxins into water sources that can be fatal if ingested. Several cattle deaths have already been reported. Kim Fundingsland with the Minot Daily News has the story.

Read & Share sourced from: Minot Daily News

Local angel fund from Dakotas gets farm-tech app

by: Josh Wolsky | June 24, 2017

A North Dakota farm technology company that’s developed an app that streamlines contracts between farmers and local elevators has gotten a financial boost from a South Dakota-based angel fund. Myrian\d Mobile the app developer out of Fargo; The Falls Angel Fund out of Sioux Falls liked Myriad’s prospects and chose to invest $1.35 million to

Read & Share sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

Africa is now the world’s testing ground for commercial drones

by: Josh Wolsky | June 24, 2017

North Dakota likes to think of itself as a leader in UAS investment. And in the U.S., we are. But on a global scale, strict U.S. regulations are dampening the industries ability to advance at the pace dictated by commercial demands and technical ability. In Africa, regulatory burdens aren’t a problem there we’re seeing drones

Read & Share sourced from: Quartz

CHART: Who Wins, Who Loses With Senate Health Care Bill

by: Josh Wolsky | June 23, 2017

If you’re confused by who to trust with regards to the news about the Republican-drafted revision Obamacare, Gisele Grayson with NPR put together a simple chart that outlines the proposed legislation’s impacts. It’s pretty straight forward information from a news source that I still trust operates with healthy dose of professional and journalistic integrity.

Read & Share sourced from: NPR

Watch the Human Brain Come to Life in This Stunning Piece of Art

by: Josh Wolsky | June 22, 2017

Our understanding of how the human brain connects, stores, and processes information is really just beginning, but there’s new data that suggests the way our neurons connect has a few more dimensions than we might have imagined. That’s a lot to wrap your head around, I know. So, perhaps, it may be easier just to

Read & Share

North Dakota to Join Group of 13 States Threatening to Sue California Over Coal Divestment Initiative

by: Josh Wolsky | June 22, 2017

Politics, policy, and activism all go hand in hand, and sometimes the best way to advance an agenda is through the back door. At least, that’s the what North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem suspects with regard to recently introduced policy by California’s Insurance Commissioner that would force insurance companies to disclose investments in fossil

Read & Share sourced from: Say Anything Blog.com

Congress Working on National Self-Driving Car Regulations

by: Josh Wolsky | June 21, 2017

The U.S. Congress has finally acknowledged that self-driving cars are coming whether we’re afraid of them or not. And if that’s the case, then we should probably have a few laws and regulations that govern the who, how, and when they’re operated. And as lawmakers are quickly finding out, self-driving cars not only a new

Read & Share sourced from: WIRED