GoKawiil
Tech News
On September 2, roughly 40 minutes before Target Field opened for a Twins-Tigers game, a shooting nine blocks away in downtown Minneapolis left three people dead and six injured, including law enforcement officers. The team's director of security used a newly adopted visitor management platform to notify employees of the emergency within minutes of the incident.
Researchers led by transplant surgeon Erik Finger successfully transplanted pig kidneys that had been frozen for a year, restoring their function in recipient animals. The findings, posted on preprint server bioRxiv, have not yet been peer-reviewed, and the team has not yet shown the organs can sustain life over an extended period.
Antima Jain and Pooja Choudhary, friends who met 11 years ago in Minnesota, used their own savings to launch a Color Me Mine paint-your-own pottery studio franchise in Edina in March 2025. The pair, both immigrants from India, bonded over shared interests before deciding to start a business together as their children grew more independent.
A Denny's franchisee that operated multiple restaurants across Minnesota and Wisconsin abruptly closed all of its locations earlier this month. The closures were confirmed by Fast Company, though the exact number of affected stores and reasons for the shutdown were not fully detailed.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota, led by surgeon Daniel Saltzman, have developed a therapy using genetically modified Salmonella Typhimurium bacteria to carry interleukin-2, an immune-stimulating molecule, straight into tumours. Pancreatic cancer patient John Heller received the experimental treatment after starting chemotherapy for advanced disease, illustrating an early real-world test of the approach.
US District Judge Donovan Frank has again ruled against Elon Musk's xAI in its effort to halt Minnesota's law banning AI tools that create non-consensual sexualized images. The judge denied xAI's preliminary injunction request, finding the company failed to prove it would suffer irreparable harm while its First Amendment lawsuit against the state proceeds. Minnesota's law, effective since August 1, imposes fines of $500,000 per unlawful image access, penalties xAI argues could total billions of dollars.
Hydrologist Anu Li hosted a 'doctorette party' at her Minnesota home to celebrate her upcoming thesis defense, complete with a tiara, a 'Mrs to Dr' sash, a themed photo booth and trivia about her research. The event reflects a broader trend among academics who are creating personalized celebrations for milestones like dissertations and tenure that traditionally go unmarked.
A free interactive tool called 'What's the Risk?' launched in early August, letting users visually compare the risks of vaccines against the diseases they prevent, as well as everyday hazards like car crashes, drowning and lightning strikes. It was built by the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy alongside Unbiased Science, a public health platform led by scientist Jessica Steier. Currently it covers measles, MMR vaccine and RSV-related products, with plans to expand comparisons over time.