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Digital tech

Voice tech helps Africa get online

As the VOICES project comes to an end, efforts are under way to make the PC-free web system freely available.

14 June 2013 | EN

Aplicación Touit Costa Rica

Mobile app showcases Costa Rica’s biodiversity

The smart phone application 'Touit Costa Rica' delivers information on more than 500 species of fauna that can be seen in the country.

11 June 2013 | ES

India girl with computer

'ICT vital in women’s empowerment'

ICT has a major role in women’s empowerment, but issues such as the rural-urban divide need attention, an international meet heard.

10 June 2013 | EN

Flooded village in Thailand

Cheap tool may help reveal vulnerable coastal wetlands

Researchers have developed a cheap and more accurate tool for measuring sea level rise and to protect vulnerable wetlands.

5 June 2013 | EN

Mother with baby in outhouse shared with cattle, Pakistan

UN panel urges 'data revolution' for development goals

Technology can improve the collection of data needed to monitor progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, says a high-profile panel.

4 June 2013 | EN

Regulate nano

UNESCO urged to explore guidelines on 'nano-ethics'

A meeting in Slovakia has heard that UNESCO should seek North–South agreement on how to deal with the ethics of nanotechnology.

3 June 2013 | EN | ES

Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 2010

Twitter could offer fast and cheap earthquake alerts

An earthquake-reporting system analyses tweets for keywords such as "shaking" and then emails a rapid warning, a paper reports.

27 May 2013 | EN

Nepal school

Education technology 'most effective' when tailored to pupils

Technologies for education can help to advance learning in developing nations, but need to be carefully targeted at pupils, says a study.

24 May 2013 | EN | ES

Dice

Fun and games help communicate disaster science

Games can help people to see disaster risks and effects with their own eyes, helping them to engage with complex science, a conference hears.

23 May 2013 | EN

Medical supply drop off

Rich and poorest nations face off over TRIPS extension

A dispute over a fresh deal to allow the least developed nations to bypass intellectual property rights could hit development efforts.

21 May 2013 | EN

Micrograph of Chagas disease parasite in blood sample

US$100 chip may ease diagnosis of 15 tropical diseases

A multitasking microchip that can test blood samples for diseases including malaria and sleeping sickness has been launched in Singapore.

21 May 2013 | EN | FR

The Amazon

Latin America up in arms over US firms' domain name grab

Latin American governments are contesting plans by US firms Amazon and Patagonia to take charge of new geographic Internet domains.

20 May 2013 | EN | ES

Kenya goes digital to report drug-safety issues

Kenya is replacing an unwieldy drug-reporting process with an online system that allows healthcare workers to track safety in real time.

10 May 2013 | EN

Andrew Wyborn at the Pan African Conference 2013

New tech needs local buy-in to deliver health benefits

Health services can use new technology to save lives, but only if local people and governments back the switch, an event has heard.

7 May 2013 | EN

HIV particles

DVD discs double as cheap diagnostic kit for HIV

DVD players and discs could soon be used as affordable diagnostics for diseases such as HIV, say researchers.

7 May 2013 | EN

Kampala Internet Cafe

Vacant TV spectrum targeted for affordable rural Wi-Fi

The switch to digital TV is freeing up frequencies that could be used to provide cheap wireless broadband services to remote areas.

6 May 2013 | EN

Revealing barriers faced by Africa's women entrepreneurs

New research aims to help African policymakers understand the constraints on women entrepreneurs to unlock their economic potential.

5 May 2013 | EN

Aerosol particles over earth

Concerns grow over effects of solar geoengineering

The latest studies predict adverse or ineffective outcomes of atmospheric geoengineering, and scientists are calling for better governance.

2 May 2013 | EN

Hazard Irritant symbol

Chemical weapons convention fails to address key issues

A conference fails to address the use of chemicals to disable civilians, as indications of chemical weapons' use in Syria emerge.

26 April 2013 | EN

Kids enjoying Sunclean

Mobile and web apps tackle sanitation challenges

A game and two other mobile apps that help citizens tackle local sanitation problems have won a World Bank-funded technology competition.

22 April 2013 | EN