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News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 16-Jun-2026 14:16 ET (16-Jun-2026 18:16 GMT/UTC)

Could the rise of weight-loss drugs reshape food markets in the Global South?

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new article published in Globalization and Health warns that the rapid rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs in high-income countries could have unintended consequences for food environments in low- and middle-income countries.

Journal: Globalization and Health

The ability to accumulate toxins from the diet has gradually evolved in poison dart frogs

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers suggest that there are at least four frog phenotypes representing stages in their evolution in the sequestration of alkaloids, which are toxins found in insects and used by some lineages of anuran amphibians to combat predators and pathogens.

Journal: Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Climate change boosts soybean production but worsens bean quality

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Using AI modeling fed with experimentally validated data, researchers at the University of São Paulo predict the simultaneous impact of high temperatures, drought, and increased CO₂.

Journal: Food Research International
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Anti-inflammatory molecule shows potential against Parkinson’s in study with mice

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In an experiment, the Ac2-26 peptide protected neurons from cell death, which is characteristic of the condition. The study also demonstrated differences in disease progression and protection between males and females.

Journal: Neuropharmacology
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Study reveals 45 new toxins produced by bacteria associated with foodborne infections

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Computational tools were used to analyze the genetic material of 6,165 samples from 149 different types of Salmonella enterica subspecies

Journal: PLOS Biology
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Organism absorbs little of the minerals from nuts, points a study that simulated human digestion

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An experiment conducted at the Federal University of São Paulo showed that only a fraction of copper and magnesium present in Brazil nuts and cashews is rendered available by the human body.

Journal: Química Nova
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Material extends shelf life and prolongs release of fungus used as bioinsecticide

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Encapsulating Beauveria bassiana in a biopolymer made of cellulose and aluminum increased the viability of the fungus from 69% to 85% after five months of storage, providing a more sustainable alternative that releases the bioinsecticide over an extended period and reduces the need for new applications.

Journal: ACS Omega
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Pathogenic fungus transmitted by domestic cat scratches is present in wild animals

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers detected pathogenic species of Sporothrix in the internal organs of mammals, birds, and reptiles that were killed by vehicles on Brazilian roads. The study reveals a new reservoir for fungi and highlights the need for surveillance.

Journal: Mycopathologia
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Research shows that wetlands in the Brazilian savanna store more carbon than Amazonian forests

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Located in the Cerrado biome, these regions can store up to 1,200 tons of carbon per hectare – about six times the average tropical rainforest biomass storage.

Journal: New Phytologist
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Project to offer free genetic testing for couples planning to have children

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Business Announcement

The initiative, supported by FAPESP, aims to map genes associated with rare hereditary diseases to create “risk calculators” based on the diversity of the Brazilian population.

Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

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