Studies conducted by Brazilian researchers and published in PLOS ONE and Scientific Reports also found compounds derived from Brazilian plants to be promising against hepatitis C. In spite of the virus' resistance, tests yielded a sharp decline in viral activities such as reproduction and cell invasion.

The discovery makes it possible to synthesize the substance and use it in traps to attract and kill Asian citrus psyllid, helping control worst pest faced by citrus industry -- in Florida alone, orange production has decreased in the order of 90 million boxes in the last 15 years.

System developed by Brazilian startup uses IoT to equip bug traps with sensores that help farmers apply agrochemicals (www.agrosmart.com.br) at the right time and in the right amount.

Study of twins exposed to Zika virus during pregnancy was conducted at the University of São Paulo's Human Genome & Stem Cell Research Centre in Brazil. Results are published in Nature Communications

It may sound like sci-fi, but mind reading equipment are much closer to become a reality than most people can imagine. Researchers used a magnetic resonance machine to read participants' minds and find out what song they were listening to. The study contributes to improve the technique and pave the way to new research on reconstruction of auditory imagination, inner speech and to enhance brain-computer interfaces for communication with locked-in syndrome patients.

Study published in Science reveals that pollution particles from cities substantially affect storm cloud formation over tropical forest. The determinant role played by nanoparticles in the process of convection signals hints at the revision of widely accepted climactic models, whose concepts were developed in countries located in temperate areas of the globe.

In studying the West Nile virus, which caused outbreaks in North America this century, scientists from Brazil and Senegal identified the gene responsible for the diminished virulence of the lineage known for causing mild effects.

A study by Brazilian researcher helps scientists understand and control physical processes that are essential to the success of ITER, a fusion reactor designed to reproduce on a small scale the process that generates energy in the sun. A future fusion reactor would feature advantages when compared to nuclear fission technology: in addition to the absence of radioactive waste, its system works by a self-control physical process that prevents overheating problems.