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Digital Planet: Ebola Goes Viral

Factual: Science & Nature

MSF medical workers wearing protective clothing carry the body bag of an Ebola victim at the MSF facility in Kailahun

19/08/2014

Ebola Goes Viral

BBC World Service - Digital Planet, Ebola Goes Viral

How much do social networks help or hinder the fight against Ebola?

Ebola Goes Viral; SmartCane; Filming at Speed of Light; Breton and Wikipedia

The outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has been widely reported on old broadcasting platforms as well as new ones such as Twitter and Facebook.  But how far do these platforms provide reliable information?  Can they lead to misinformation and cause panic?  Tolu Ogunlesi reports from Nigeria on the role of the media in helping to combat Ebola.

SmartCane
Researchers in India have developed a smart cane that will help people with visual impairment to move around their environments.  It is a relatively simple, vibrating device called an electronic travel aid that provides haptic feedback and could help transform the lives of millions of people.  Click hears from Rohan Paul, one of the key researchers behind the smart cane.  

Filming at the Speed of Light
Scientists in Scotland have demonstrated a camera that takes pictures at the speed of light. The camera is also able to see around corners.  Jonathan Leach who has been deeply involved with the development of the camera joins Click to describe how it works and its possible applications.

Breton and Wikipedia
Breton is one of the minority languages of the world.  Like many such languages it has weathered the danger of disappearance.  In recent years Wikipedia has provided a hub and platform for advocates to get help to preserve the language but also to encourage its use both locally and abroad. 


(Photo credit: Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) medical workers wearing protective clothing carry the body bag of an Ebola victim at the MSF facility in Kailahun, a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone, on August 14, 2014 © Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images)

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