Fri, 10/08/2021
Welcome to ‘Tech Roundup,’ where we highlight some of the most significant tech news items from Nebraska and the surrounding area. If you have a news item you would like to see in the Roundup, please email neil.rutledge@unl.edu.
Local/Regional
Husker scientist leads effort to understand, adapt legume nitrogen conversion
Nebraska Today
- Soybeans and other legumes interact with nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria called rhizobia that are able to convert nitrogen in the air into a form the plant can use to grow and reproduce. Corn and other crops can’t, requiring nitrogen fertilizers to maximize growth and yield — problematic because overapplication or runoff can pollute soil and water.
- “Can we transfer this capability to non-legumes?” asked Marc Libault, a University of Nebraska–Lincoln plant scientist.
- Ultimately, researchers might be able to genetically modify non-legumes such as corn, rice and wheat to give them the ability to attract rhizobia and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Using less fertilizer could not only reduce pollution, but significantly decrease farmers’ input costs.
Death, Theft and TikTok: The Fentanyl Crisis is Hitting Nebraska Too
Nebraska Public Media
- Dr. Ken Zoucha, Addiction Medicine Division-Director at the University of Nebraska Medical Center said the isolating nature of the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated a surge in fentanyl overdoses.
- He said the crisis is further complicated by innovative ways people have found to buy illicit drugs. He said now, more than ever people are buying drugs via online platforms like Facebook, Tik Tok, and Instagram, where he said concerns about user privacy often trump law enforcement priorities
Saraf advances work on first-of-its-kind ‘living’ transistor chip
Nebraska Today
- A University of Nebraska–Lincoln researcher is one step closer to developing a new kind of transistor chip that harnesses the biological responses of living organisms to drive current through the device, shedding light on cellular activity at an unprecedented level of sensitivity.
- Eventually, this “living” chip may enable faster and simpler diagnosis of sepsis, illuminate understanding of antibiotic resistance and bolster efforts to develop neuromorphic devices, which mimic the human brain.
Eminent Domain Victory Could Be Short-Lived with More Nebraska Land Fights Ahead
Nebraska Public Media
- Earlier this week, supporters of property rights in Nebraska celebrated what they called a victory after a major energy company gave up attempts to condemn private property along a proposed pipeline route. But property rights advocates say there are more fights ahead.
- “One of the things that the Public Service Commission could do right now is create a rule that says anytime a pipeline gets cancelled, rejected or is decommissioned, meaning its past its lifespan, that the land easements revert immediately back to the landowner,” Jane Kleeb, the founder of Bold Nebraska, a group that supports private landowner rights and opposes the use of eminent domain unless it’s part of a public project, said.
As Hemp Growing Expands, Producers Careful to Produce Legal Crop
Nebraska Public Media
- It was a problem few thought through during the push to legalize hemp in Nebraska. The law used THC levels to define the difference between legal hemp and illegal cannabis. In line with USDA regulations, the state set allowable THC at a very, very low level to deter recreational use. As a result, it can be a challenge to produce a crop that meets stringent regulations.
- "They keep being able to find that genetic (target) to create that cannabinoid and have that type of plant that creates that specific cannabinoid," emphasizing the CBD over the THC.
- Additionally, where hemp is planted and cultivated may cause drastic swings in the THC level.
St. Louis-based Arch Grants awards over $1.9 million to 35 startups
Silicon Prairie News
- St. Louis-based Arch Grants has awarded over $1.9 million in non-dilutive grants to its 2021 cohort of 35 new startups and early-stage businesses.
- Each year, Arch Grants welcomes innovative, scalable and job-creating startups from around the world to participate in the nonprofit’s annual Startup Competition for a chance to be awarded $50,000 in non-dilutive grants and $10,000 for relocation if they are located outside of Missouri and at least 150 miles from St. Louis.
Regional Startup Spotlight
Kansas City’s Swappa provides peer-to-peer marketplace for gently used tech
- Customers are increasingly saying they want the right to repair the technology they already own rather than get locked into the cycle of consumption caused by planned obsolescence. And, naturally, more and more companies are popping up across the Silicon Prairie to meet this demand.
- Swappa is a user-to-user marketplace for buying and selling used technology, to make the process safer for buyers and sellers alike. Since Swappa approves each listing, buyers can be sure they are purchasing a fully functional machine.
Tags: Tech Round-Up
