Anolis porcatus, a species native to Cuba, has been identified in several areas near the Port of Santos on the São Paulo coast, in Brazil. Its introduction into this area may threaten the survival of local lizard populations. A DNA study suggests these lizards could have come from Florida, where they're also exotic, rather than directly from Cuba.

Dead zones affect dozens of coral reefs around the world and threaten hundreds more according to a new study by Smithsonian scientists published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Watching a massive coral reef die-off on the Caribbean coast of Panama, they suspected it was caused by a dead zone -- a low-oxygen area that snuffs out marine life -- rather than by ocean warming or acidification.

The Phase Two effort of CIP's proof-of-concept experiment to grow potatoes in simulated Martian conditions began on Feb. 14, 2016, when a tuber was planted in a specially constructed CubeSat contained environment built by engineers from University of Engineering and Technology in Lima based upon designs and advice provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Ames Research Center, California. Preliminary results are positive.

It is consensus that mothers' diet has critical effects on fetal development, and the absence of nutrients is related to impairments on brain formation. In order to characterize the nutrients during human brain development, Brazilian scientists investigated human minibrains using synchrotron radiation, a sort of X-ray. Results showed that concentration and distribution of chemical elements are related to the stage of development and similar to previous data obtained from postmortem brain samples.

Brazilian researchers have identified a species of thecamoeba with a carapace that resembles the wizard's hat worn by Gandalf, one of the most important characters in The Lord of the Rings, a series of novels by J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973). The new species are named Arcella gandalfi as a tribute to Tolkien's wizard.