Photo: NEPTUNE Canada

This Week: Scientists and the general public are listening to the deep ocean, to whales, dolphins, under water volcanoes and people drilling for oil. But that has some worried. As many as 2 million songbirds a year are killed in the Mediterranean country, most to be eaten as a delicacy in local restaurants. A Saudi Arabian company has leased tens of thousands of acres in western Ethiopia to grow rice for export. The Ethiopian government says it will help provide food security for its citizens, but some who live in the region, say they’re not seeing any benefits.

Listening to the Deep Ocean:Scientists are establishing a worldwide network of deep-sea listening posts connected to the Internet. It allows researchers and the public to hear whales, ships and other underwater sounds. But the U.S. Navy is uneasy because these sounds might reveal the location of its submarines.
Read this story here.
My blog on efforts to understand noise pollution in the oceans.
Noisy oceans may hurt squids.

Saudi Company Invests in Ethiopian Agriculture:A Saudi Arabian company has leased tens of thousands of acres in western Ethiopia to grow rice for export. The Ethiopian government says it will help provide food security for its citizens, but some who live in the region, say they’re not seeing any benefits.


(Photos: Dallas McNamara)

Illegal Bird Trapping in Cyprus: As many as 2 million songbirds a year are killed in the Mediterranean country, most to be eaten as a delicacy in local restaurants.

Microblogs, or “weibo,” are immensely popular in China. As anywhere else in the world, the uses range from discussing cat food, to criticizing the government, to organizing mass protests. But the Chinese government is a little bit worried (about the criticizing and the mass protests). Beijing has just introduced new rules designed to make it harder for Chinese to hide their identities. Effective immediately, new microblog users will have to submit their real names, and current users have three months to do so. In this episode of The World’s Technology Podcast, you’ll get the latest, and some context, from the BBC’s Michael Bristow.

Also in this episode, we’ll take a look at just how, and how much, Wikileaks has changed the way intelligence is gathered and shared. And you’ll hear about some academic research that’s been done recently of the role of Twitter in recent social movements.

Of course, we hate to let an episode go by without some Tech That Matters, and so we’ve also got an interview with Dr. Peter A. Singer, the man who would like to develop a smartphone app that could detect malaria, and HIV and tuberculosis. Here’s a video I found that offers a teaser:

A reminder that you can ignore us equally on Twitter, Facebook, and now Google +.

Big-Butt Ants in Colombia We’re taking you on an unusual culinary tour. We begin in Colombia, where people are busy preparing a spring delicacy: what locals call hormiga culona or ‘big-bottomed ants.’ These are a certain kind of leafcutter ant, and their big bottoms as laden with eggs. They can fetch up to $ 40 a pound. John Otis reports.
Read the story here.

The Case for Eating Insects: Dutch entomologist Arnold van Huis tells us about other cultures that eat insects. And he wants us all to consider eating bugs. It’s good for the planet, he says and bugs are “just delicious!” Van Huis is the guest in our latest Science Forum discussion. Stop by and share your thoughts, questions and insect recipes if you have any.

Wolves Return to Catalonia: The World’s Gerry Hadden reports on the return of wolves to the Catalan region of Spain. Even though there have been attacks on sheep, local farmers say they think it’s good that wolves have returned.
Read the story here.

Melting Ice Sheets in Greeland:The World’s Daniel Grossman reports from Greenland on disturbing changes in the ice sheet there. A new report says ice in Greenland and other northern regions is melting far faster than predicted just a few years ago, with possibly serious consequences for global sea levels.

We also take a look at how some Haitians are working to recycle their trash into charcoal briquettes in a bid to stem the country’s deforestation problem. Reporter Amy Bracken has that story for us.

The BBC’s Sarah Rainsford will take us into the dark heart of Siberia to try to find out why Russian’s make such good computer criminals. How good, er, bad are they? The Russian government’s warned that they are “the best in the world.”

And speaking of pesky tech problems that won’t go away, how about piracy? It turns out that Hollywood might decide to completely pull out of Spain, because of the country’s horrible track record when it comes to stopping the distribution and sales of pirated DVDs.

Episode 286 also has a shout-out to Cristina Schaver and all the students in the 7th period “Information Technology in a Global Society” class at the American School of Madrid. Apparently, their teacher, Jamie Forslund, is making them listen to the Tech Podcast as homework. The horror…the horror.

Remember, our Facebook campaign (1,000 “likes” by the end of May) is doing great. Keep spreading the word. We’re also on Twitter too.

This episode was brought to you, musically, by that immense guitar talent, Eddie Van Halen. The track, for reasons that will be made clear if you listen to the podcast, or read this, is “Eruption.”

Don’t forget, you can subscribe to our podcast via RSS, iTunes, or email. Hey, we’re full service.

(Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors)

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This week: Three energy-related stories – two on solar power, and one on a city that’s turned to bicycling as an alternative to a car-centered society. Plus we’ll look at an old animal that’s apparently learned a new trick, and we have good news — and bad — about pandas.

Bicycling In Amsterdam: Around the world, cities are generally following in America’s car-centered footsteps. The result: more vehicles, more traffic, more pollution. But at least one European city is trying a different tack.
Report: By Kathleen Schalch in Amsterdam.

Solar Thermal Energy: Among the most promising renewable energy technologies is called solar thermal, or concentrating solar. It uses the sun’s heat to produce electricity. The United States helped pioneer the field, but Spain has now taken the lead.
Report: By Cynthia Graber in Spain.

A Dad at 100?: A Galapagos tortoise named Lonesome George, who is between 90 and 100 years old, is thought to be the last of his species. After years of work by researchers, George may become a first-time father.
Guest: Linda Cayot, science advisor, Galapagos Conservancy.

Solar in Africa: A group of European businesses is developing what would be the world’s most ambitious solar  project — in North Africa. The goal: to provide electricity for Africa and Europe.
Report: By Gerry Hadden in Morocco.

Elsa’s favorite stories of the week:

• Jellyfish — and other swimming creatures — stir up the oceans. (The study.)
• The Sichuan earthquake of 2008 damaged over half of the world’s giant panda habitat. Researchers are calling for conservation corridors to compensate. (The study.)
• Chinese researchers announced the birth of a panda cub produced by artificial insemination with thawed frozen sperm — a breakthrough that could help maintain genetic diversity in panda breeding programs. (News from the Wolong Panda Club and the Associated Press.)

Music:
Owner of a Lonely Heart, by Yes
In The Air Tonight, by Phil Collins

This week: Mediterranean bluefin tuna, being decimated. Watching for swine flu in Africa. Germany leads the way on renewable energy. And some surprising results from a mummy CAT scan. Plus carbs and cardiovascular disease, and genetic links between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Bluefin Tuna Troubles: In the Mediterranean, fishing for bluefin tuna goes back thousands of years. But now, overfishing is taking a severe toll, and the bluefin tuna population is crashing.
Report: By The World’s Gerry Hadden in Barcelona.

Swine Flu in Africa: The World Health Organization has tallied more than 70,000 confirmed cases of swine flu worldwide. Of those, fewer than ten are in Sub-Saharan Africa. Even so, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worries that Africa could be hit hard by the pandemic. Experts say crowded slums on the continent could serve as perfect places for the spread of H1N1.
Report: By The World’s Andrea Crossan in Nairobi, Kenya.

An interactive worldwide swine flu map from the WHO

Solar Energy in East Germany: A decade ago, Germany’s government decided to focus on creating new sources of clean, renewable energy — and putting people to work in these new industries. The strategy succeeded. It helped create a solar power industry and revive a depressed region of the former East Germany. This story is the first installment in a five-part series on how Europe is confronting the challenge of climate change.
Report: By Kathleen Schalch in Frankfurt an Oder, Germany.

German Renewable Energy Federation

Mummies Get CAT Scans: Researchers in New York gave CAT scans to four mummies from the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The scans revealed a few surprises, including the fact that one mummy long thought to be a woman is actually a man.
Report: By The World’s Lisa Mullins.

Mummy photos from the Brooklyn Museum

David’s favorite science stories of the week (Elsa’s away, having fun — we hope — in Bulgaria):

• New details on how some carbohydrates can damage the cardiovascular system
• A large international schizophrenia study finds genetic evidence that the disease has an immune component, and comes up with a genetic link to bipolar disorder.

Music:
Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb, by World Party
Way Down Now, by World Party

Pakistan has a serious water crisis. Not only is the country running out of water, much of the available water is polluted and is making people sick.

Another crucial water problem for Pakistan is the ailing Indus River. One of the world’s great rivers and home to some of the earliest civilizations, the Indus is drying up.

Spanish vultures are having a rough time. In 2002, the EU passed a law designed to prevent mad cow disease. The law required farmers not to leave out livestock carcasses for vultures. The result: the birds have been starving—especially in Spain, the vulture capital of Europe. The European Parliament may change the law to allow farmers to leave some livestock carcasses for the carrion eaters after all.

Also this week, the Chinese government reported that the Great Wall is 2,400 miles longer than previously believed. Researchers claimed that an obese population produces up to 14% more greenhouse gas than a slimmer population. And finally, a brain imaging study from Belgium suggests that night owls can stay alert not just later, but also for longer, than morning people.

Music
The Standells, Dirty Water
Blondie, Dreaming

This week, we have two stories about alternative energy in Spain. Over the last decade, Spanish companies like Iberdrola and Gamesa have become top wind energy producers. This success has laid the groundwork for more renewable tech; solar is next, with projects like the Solúcar solar platform.

But big business brings corruption—and renewable energy is no exception. The town of La Muela allegedly got greedy. La Muela grew rich on wind power—but its mayor, María Victoria Pinilla, is now in jail on bribery charges.The scandal began with the wind energy boom and rising property values. Another wind-related scandal is playing out in the town of Bigastro.

Of course, renewable energy isn’t always big business. The British charity Forum for the Future just awarded a $75,000 prize to inventor Jon Bohmer for his work on a cheap cardboard solar oven. Bohmer hopes to spread the technology across the world as a way to save lives, fight global warming, and conserve the environment. Similar ovens have been around for decades, but Bohmer has come up with a way to make and distribute them cheaply and quickly.

Also this week, Chinese scientists challenged textbook tenets when they reported that old female mice may still be able to produce eggs. New research indicates that inbreeding killed off a Spanish royal family, the Hapsburgs, in 1700. And scientists have made a surprising discovery about how DNA molecules can improve vision.

Music:

Three Dog Night, Never Been to Spain
June Carter Cash, Keep on the Sunny Side