Motorola has invested in a micro-fuel cell developer called Tekion. Banking on their ability to produce a fuel cell to power portable devices such as laptops, cell phones and music players, Motorola has taken a big step towards reducing the amount of batteries that hit landfills (and thus the water cycle) everyday.
Faster, Better HIV Tests
Physicians in Canada are now able to purchase a 60-second HIV testing machine. Previously, individuals wanting to be tested for the disease had to wait 2-3 weeks to get the results from provincial laboratories. Now, it’s as simple as a trip to the doctor’s office.
Meanwhile, the US FDA is considering approving a do-it-yourself home HIV test. This is good to hear, because 1 in 4 AIDS patients in the US don’t know they have it!
Brazil endorses glove before love
According to the Brazilian AIDS Programme (as reported in the economist), condom use among young people in Brazil at first sexual intercourse has gone up from 5% in 1986, to 55% in 1998, to 65% in 2003.
This is good to hear because Brazil’s anti-AIDS campaign has been replicated elsewhere. Let’s hope for similar successes!
Protesters Greet Chinese President
Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in London this week for a three day visit to have talks with Prime Minister Tony Blair. Upon arrival he ran into hundreds of human rights protesters waving Tibetan flags and Falung Gong supporters who stood in silent protest. Campaigners hoped to send a strong message to the President to encourage him to meet with the Dalai Lama. Whether this actually happens or not it is a message that Tibetan supporters rarely get the chance to relay as the Tibetan flag is banned in China and Tibet. Demonstrations such as these have led to hundreds of thousands of deaths in Tibet where Jintao declared Martial Law over protests by separatists.
Only one protester was apprehended after the prosession had passed. It was a man waving pro-China flag amidst the Tibetan campaigners.
Vatican Rejects “Intelligent Design Theory”
Fox Australia is reporting that the Vatican has declared evolution to be compatible with the bible. In a clear attack on fundamentalism and so-called “intelligent design”, a spokesperson for the pope said that the if one interprets the bible correctly, they will find plenty of room for Darwin’s famous theory.
Previously: Vatican respects science.