News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 10-May-2025 03:09 ET (10-May-2025 07:09 GMT/UTC)

27-Jun-2019

Insects need empathy

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In February, environmentalists in Germany collected 1.75 million signatures for a 'save the bees law.' Citizens can stop insect declines by halting habitat loss and fragmentation, producing food without pesticides and limiting climate change, say the authors of this Perspectives piece in Science.

Journal

Science

26-Jun-2019

Genetically modified virus combats prostate cancer

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

In a study with mice, a gene therapy developed in Brazil kills cancer cells and avoids adverse side effects when combined with chemotherapy.

Journal

Gene Therapy

Funder

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

25-Jun-2019

Portable device can be used to diagnose eye disease remotely

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

An app operating the optical device sends images of the retina over the internet to Eyer Cloud, which stores and manages patient files.

Funder

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

24-Jun-2019

Researchers identify genes linked to sex differentiation in giant Amazon fish

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

Discoveries by Brazilian and German researchers may facilitate early sexing of pirarucu (arapaima) and its reproduction in captivity while also paving the way for genetic improvement.

Journal

Scientific Reports

Funder

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

19-Jun-2019

Climate change could affect symbiotic relationships between microorganisms and trees

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

An international research consortium mapped the global distribution of tree-root symbioses with fungi and bacteria that are vital to forest ecosystems. The study was featured on the cover of Nature.

Journal

Nature

Funder

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

18-Jun-2019

Scientists identify plant that flowers in Brazilian savanna one day after fire

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

Rapid resprouting and flowering of Bulbostylis paradoxa is proof of the Cerrado biome's superb resilience and its capacity to evolve through fire.

Journal

Ecology

Funder

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

17-Jun-2019

3D reconstruction of craniums elucidates the evolution of New World monkeys

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

Computed tomography scans of fossils from two extinct species point to evolutionary adaptations and kinship with extant howler, spider and woolly monkeys.

Journal

American Journal of Physical Anthropology

Funder

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

14-Jun-2019

Flickering sky islands generate Andean biodiversity

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As the climate changed over the past million years, areas of paramo around Andean peaks in Colombia grew and contracted, giving rise to species unique to this habitat. Today paramos continue to shrink, putting these species at risk.

Journal

Journal of Biogeography

Funder

Panama's Sistema Nacional de Investigadores de SENACYT, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, Hugo de Vries Foundation, German Centre for integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig funded by the German Research Foundation

14-Jun-2019

Modified enzyme can increase second-generation ethanol production

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

Using a protein produced by a fungus that lives in the Amazon, Brazilian researchers developed a molecule capable of increasing glucose release from biomass for fermentation.

Journal

Scientific Reports

Funder

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

13-Jun-2019

Study shows that strength and weight training can control diabetes in obese individuals

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

In experiments with mice, Brazilian scientists demonstrated that a moderate training protocol reduced liver fat and made the organ more sensitive to insulin, even before loss of body weight occurred.

Journal

Journal of Endocrinology

Funder

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