Financial services are reaching the world’s poorest by mobile phone. Thanks to a mobile banking system launched last month in Senegal, people with no previous access to bank accounts were able to watch the World Cup via satellite services that they paid for electronically with a few taps on a mobile phone. The service is a clear sign that mobile banking is taking off in Africa, giving some of the world’s poorest people a way to access financial services.

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Mobile Banking Sees Success in Senegal

DOE funds will help finance construction of a geothermal facility using advanced technology. The U.S. Department of Energy has offered a $102.2 million loan guarantee, its first for geothermal energy, to U.S. Geothermal , based in Boise, ID. The guarantee is designed to support construction of a 22-megawatt plant at Neal Hot Springs, near Vale, OR.

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Geothermal Plant Gets Funding

Satellite navigation technology is focusing on reducing fuel consumption. The last few years have seen some satellite navigation systems go from advising motorists of the fastest routes to recommending more fuel-efficient trips. Now Bosch , in Germany, has developed a route-planning system that could squeeze even more fuel savings from a journey by taking into account the car’s weight, aerodynamics, engine size, transmission, and even driver aggression level. Bosch says its new ECO2 satnav software can reduce fuel consumption by 9 percent on average while increasing average journey time by only 9 percent.

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A More Fuel-Efficient Route Planner

A nano diamond agent is 15 times more sensitive.

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New Compound Improves MRI Contrast Agents

Scientists might use such microorganisms to make environmental sensors or drug delivery systems.

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A Synchronous Clock Made of Bacteria

A microfluidics device connects artificial skin and lymph node.

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Cosmetics Testing without Animals

The attack would have required “staggering” skill and resources, experts say.

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Google Reveals Chinese Espionage Efforts

During the past 12 months, robots got better at grasping, smiling, and avoiding angry humans.

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The Year in Robotics

Do blogs and tweets help a company’s bottom line? An Austin-based startup thinks it has the answer.

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Making Money with Social Media

Novel technique helps with bone marrow transplants for leukemia patients.

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Calming Cells Fend Off Immune Attack