News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 29-Oct-2026 12:16 ET (29-Oct-2026 16:16 GMT/UTC)

11-Feb-2020

 

Anatomical details of rare electric fish revealed by an advanced imaging technique

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

Thanks to the use of high-resolution microcomputed tomography, a cross-border research collaboration was able to study the only three known specimens of Tembeassu marauna, held at the University of São Paulo's Zoology Museum.

Journal

PLOS One

Funder

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

7-Feb-2020

 

Microplastics are new homes for microbes in the Caribbean

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Only about 1% of marine plastic debris is recovered at the ocean's surface, meaning the other 99% likely either sinks or is consumed by marine organisms

Journal

Limnology and Oceanography Letters

Funder

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Global Development Research program.

28-Jan-2020

 

Novel molecules display potent and selective action against ovarian tumor cells

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

Compounds based on palladium, a metal belonging to the same group as platinum, have been developed by researchers from Brazil, the UK and Italy. In vitro tests show action against tumor cells that are resistant to treatment currently used.

Journal

Dalton Transactions

Funder

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

27-Jan-2020

 

Consequences of Zika virus attack on glial cells

D'Or Institute for Research and Education
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Few studies have identified the effects of zika virus infection on astrocytes, as well as their association with developmental alterations, including brain malformations and microcephaly. Published in Scientific Reports, a new article sought to unravel the virus reactions on laboratory-created astrocytes, comparing them to the same cells present in the brain tissue of animals and fetuses infected with Zika.

Journal

Scientific Reports

Funder

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico Tecnológico, Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, D'Or Institute for Research and Education

24-Jan-2020

 

The skin of the earth is home to pac-man-like protists

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The most common groups of soil protists behave exactly like Pac-Man: moving through the soil matrix, gobbling up bacteria according to a new article in Science Advances.

Journal

Science Advances

Funder

a Graduate Fellowship from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, US National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Simons Foundation

23-Jan-2020

Novel approach to immune system could lead to personalized therapy against sepsis

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

Two mechanisms could afford an alternative approach to studying and treating severe conditions such as sepsis. A combination of resistance to pathogens by means of fever; and temporary tolerance promoted by controlled hypothermia.

Journal

Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism

Funder

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

22-Jan-2020

Scientific evidence found for role of stress in hair whitening

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

20-Jan-2020

 

Zika inhibits the proliferation of prostate cancer cells

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

Experiments performed by Brazilian scientists showed that Zika virus inhibits tumor cell proliferation even when inactivated by high temperature. The study was supported by FAPESP and published in Scientific Reports.

Journal

Scientific Reports

Funder

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

20-Jan-2020

 

Want to know what climate change will do in your back yard? There's a dataset for that

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

The 7-terabyte dataset, the largest of its kind, helps envision climate-change scenarios at scales as small as 1 kilometer. A new review validates and describes the dataset.

Journal

Scientific Data

15-Jan-2020

 

Study contests use of smoked cannabis in treatment of cocaine addiction

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

Researchers in Brazil evaluated cocaine and crack addicts undergoing rehabilitation for six months and observed a higher relapse rate and worse cognitive impairment among patients who smoked cannabis to try to mitigate their craving for cocaine.

Journal

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Funder

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