News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 16-Dec-2025 08:11 ET (16-Dec-2025 13:11 GMT/UTC)

27-Jul-2021

Is this the oldest cashew on the isthmus?

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A fossil tree discovery in Panama offers clues regarding the establishment of the genus Anacardium in Central and South America

Journal

PLOS One

Funder

Secretaria Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnologia e Innovacion

22-Jul-2021

Study points to remotely supervised exercise classes as best option during lockdown

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

Based on data for 344 volunteers, Brazilian researchers compared the physical and mental health benefits of workouts led in person by a fitness instructor, unsupervised online sessions, and classes supervised remotely via video call. Gradually increasing intensity was associated with improvements in mental health.

Journal

Psychiatry Research

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

21-Jul-2021

Study innovates in gluten-free formulations, creating more palatable and nutritious bread

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

Study at the Federal University of São Paulo developed a recipe combining chickpea flour and psyllium, a plant-derived soluble fiber. The product is nourishing and rated highly by consumers in qualitative surveys.

Journal

Foods

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

20-Jul-2021

Study refutes suspicion that dengue increases risk of microcephaly associated with zika

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

Researchers compared data for pregnant women in two cities who were infected by zika virus in 2015-16. Factors that influenced the risk of fetal malformation were the high zika attack rate in the area and being infected in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Journal

Viruses

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

13-Jul-2021

Study assesses the prevalence of mental illness during the pandemic among folks aged 50-80

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

The study was conducted in the city of São Paulo, with over 2,000 participants who were active or retired staff of the University of São Paulo and enrolled in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brazil). The researchers say the city has one of the highest prevalence rates of psychiatric disorders in the world.

Journal

Psychological Medicine

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

12-Jul-2021

Quantum phase transition discovered in a quasi-2D system consisting purely of spins

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

The study could have applications in spintronics and quantum computing. It was conducted by an international collaboration and published in Nature. Its first author is a researcher at the University of São Paulo.

Journal

Nature

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

9-Jul-2021

The incidence of COVID-19 in a Brazilian regional soccer league is one of the highest

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

Researchers analyzed almost 30,000 RT-PCR tests on swabs from 4,269 players in 2020: 11.7% turned out positive. The rate was the same as among front-line health workers.

Journal

British Journal of Sports Medicine

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

8-Jul-2021

Newborns to three months should be stimulated to hold and reach for objects, study says

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

According to a recently published study, when newborns observe adults performing everyday tasks, their social, motor and cognitive development is stimulated.

Journal

Infant Behavior and Development

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

7-Jul-2021

Research paves the way to early diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy

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

Diabetics exert less force to hold an object than people with other diseases that affect the nervous system. Grip force is a key behavioral biomarker to detect incipient diabetic neuropathy.

Journal

Human Movement Science

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

6-Jul-2021

Novel coronavirus infects and replicates in salivary gland cells

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

A study conducted at the University of São Paulo suggests that tissues specializing in saliva production and secretion serve as reservoirs for SARS-CoV-2, magnifying its infectious potential.

Journal

The Journal of Pathology

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab