SciDev.Net Weekly Update (14 - 20 January 2013)

Uncertainties and delays after Rio+20 Scientists are unsure how to approach work on sustainable development goals after the Rio+20 summit. News Indian designer creates smartphone for the blind  A project to develop an affordable Braille smartphone for the visually impaired could have its first model on the market within a year.  EN  Disease 'halves people's incomes' in tropical countries  Vector-borne and parasitic diseases are still hindering development in the tropics by dramatically cutting incomes, a study reveals.  EN | ES  Evidence lacking on mHealth effectiveness in poor countries  Mobile phones are lauded as a solution to health challenges, but there is a lack of evidence for their success in the developing world.  EN | ES  Sustainable development after Rio+20 is 'in limbo'  The scientific community is uncertain about its role within the post-Rio+20 agenda and work on sustainable development goals.  EN | ES  Mexican president reveals ambitious science plans  The president of Mexico has unveiled plans designed to improve the state of science in the country.  EN | ES  Iranian fungi show promise in cleaning up oil spills  Fungi collected from oil-contaminated sites may help mop up pollution from oil spills, research in Iran shows.  EN  Trials planned for pain-free, low-cost vaccine delivery  Following a successful test in Papua New Guinea, the needle-less Nanopatch vaccine delivery device may soon be ready for clinical trials.  EN  Upbeat findings on science journalism in developing world  Science journalists working in the Global South are more optimistic about the sector than those in the developed world, reveals a report.  EN | ES  Anti-sleeping sickness drives may also need to target animals  Efforts to eliminate sleeping sickness from humans without tackling the disease's animal hosts may only end in fresh outbreaks.  EN Other News Modern food supply technology 'key to affordable food'  EN  France launches US$12 million tech transfer project  EN  Horn of Africa 'should grow more climate-hardy cassava'  EN  New diagnostic tool to tackle diarrhoea bug  EN  Ecuador issues compulsory license for drug against HIV  ES More NEWS  Opinions Scant funding for research facilities is hurting Africa  Donors must work with African countries to provide crucial science infrastructure, argues S&T policy scholarNicholas Michael Bashour.  EN  Islam Analysis: Islamic enterprise initiatives at risk of underperforming  Entrepreneurial initiatives to provide vital jobs must adjust to the tough enterprise environment or risk underperforming, says Athar Osama.  EN More OPINIONS  Features Should deep-sea mining go ahead in Papua New Guinea?  Financial disagreement has halted a controversial deep-sea mining project but deeper issues lie with the environment, Prime Sarmiento reports.  EN  More FEATURES  How Africa can boost its research infrastructure Scant funding for research facilities is the main reason why African countries have yet to produce a thriving science community — but there is a solution, says Nicholas Michael Bashour. mHealth: Little evidence of success in developing world Despite claims that mHealth can tackle many developing world health challenges, evidence of this is scarce, say studies