Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

Heavy metals in mushrooms; Electric cars at home; Curry against cancer; CAF-Elhuyar awards; Salmonella

Heavy metals in mushrooms

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study carried out by the University of Castilla-La Mancha indicates that the mushroom with the highest amount of lead and neodymium is the yellow worm. Amarillo is a very appreciated mushroom in European cuisine. The study concludes that depending on the mushroom species, more or less heavy metals accumulate. The researchers have studied the presence of heavy metals in 100 samples of 12 species of mushrooms collected in uncontaminated areas of Ciudad Real.

Electric cars at home

The Basque Government, Petronor and Mercedes have signed an agreement to promote the use of electric cars in the Basque Country. The Basque Government will finance it through the Basque Energy Agency; the oil company will install charging stations in some service stations and Mercedes will assemble vans that move through this energy.

Curry against cancer

A
molecule found in a curry component has managed to kill cancer cells in the esophagus in the lab. This molecule is curcumin, which is found in curcumin, the substance that gives the curry the typical yellow color. In the study, conducted by Irish researchers, cancer cells have been treated with curcumin and found that curcumin begins to kill cancer cells after 24 hours. However, curcumin rapidly loses this anti-cancer potential once it has been consumed. However, the discovery opens new avenues for scientists to develop anti-esophageal cancer drugs. Every year, 500,000 people worldwide die from esophageal cancer.

The CAF-Elhuyar Awards

The CAF-Elhuyar Awards are underway and this year the competition is renewed. The organization has created two prizes: a contest of scientific narratives and a prize for written or audiovisual journalism. Until now, the thesis abstracts of young researchers who were submitted to the Basque Research thesis competition will also be part of the CAF-Elhuyar awards. The best work in this area of the award will receive 2,000 euros, and the same amount will be awarded to the best work in science journalism. The best science fiction will be awarded 5,000 euros. The deadline for submitting papers is 31 January 2010.

Location of Salmonella

The CIC microGUNE and Gaiker IK4 technology centres are working together on a project to identify salmonella in food. This initiative will make it possible to identify the pathogens present on the ground, quickly and without the need for a laboratory infrastructure, throughout the food chain.