News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 10-Aug-2025 04:11 ET (10-Aug-2025 08:11 GMT/UTC)

27-Sep-2024

Strategy to combat breast cancer involves two-pronged attack on enzyme that ‘feeds’ tumor

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

Promising results were obtained by a group at the Brazilian Center for Research on Energy and Materials (CNPEM), working with collaborators elsewhere. They combined inhibition of glutaminase, an enzyme that converts glutamine into nutrients for tumor cells, with inhibition of HuR, a protein that regulates the RNA of glutaminase.

Journal

Nature Communications

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

26-Sep-2024

Presence of bacteria in soil makes flowers more attractive to pollinators, study shows

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

Experiments conducted at the Federal University of the ABC showed that nitrogen-fixing bacteria play a key role in the reproduction of a legume native to Brazil.

Journal

American Journal of Botany

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

26-Sep-2024

New laboratory enhances agricultural resilience through partnerships in Tanzania

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture

A cutting-edge laboratory in Arusha, Tanzania, co-managed by the Tanzanian Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) and the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, is set to provide research and service facility with access to advanced disease diagnostics, nutrition analysis and biotechnology research that are crucial for adapting to climate change.

25-Sep-2024

Brazil must reinforce protection of forests to meet climate change mitigation goals, study warns

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

In an article published in Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation, researchers affiliated with the National Space Research Institute (INPE) and the National Disaster Surveillance and Early Warning Center (CEMADEN) in Brazil discuss CO₂ emission reduction challenges and solutions.

Journal

Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

23-Sep-2024

New study raises questions about validity of standard model of solar flares

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

Computer simulations based on the standard model did not account for observational data obtained via telescope, showing that other factors must be taken into consideration when analyzing the process.

Journal

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

23-Sep-2024

Novel method detects biological oxidant derived from CO2 in cells

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

A study conducted at the University of São Paulo in Brazil helps elucidate the impact of high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide on human health. Research conducted by the Center for Research on Redox Processes in Biomedicine resulted in the detection of peroxymonocarbonate for the first time in human cells.

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

20-Sep-2024

Deforestation in the Amazon is driven more by domestic demand than by the export market

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

A study by the University of São Paulo shows that expansion of cattle ranching to meet growing domestic demand has contributed more than any other driver to the elimination or degradation of the Amazon’s original vegetation, followed by expanding croplands and urbanization.

Journal

Nature Sustainability

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

19-Sep-2024

Vegans’ intake of protein and essential amino acids is adequate but ultra-processed products are also needed

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

The study concluded that textured soy protein and plant-based protein supplements were the main ultra-processed products determining adequate protein intake for Brazilian vegans. The research involved 774 men and women  who followed a vegan diet in Brazil.

Journal

JAMA Network Open

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

18-Sep-2024

Study identifies possible novel species in fish genus endemic to Neotropics

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

Through morphological and molecular analysis of material collected from rivers in Brazil's Northeast region, the researchers are extending their knowledge of the evolutionary history of South American darters in the genus Characidium.

Journal

Systematics and Biodiversity

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

16-Sep-2024

Breakthrough study reveals how mutant p53 protein converts other proteins into cancer drivers

Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (INBEB)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Brazilian researchers from UFRJ and INBEB uncover how mutant p53, a key tumor suppressor, transforms proteins like p63 and p73 into cancer drivers via amyloid aggregation. Published in Communications Chemistry, the study also highlights heparin's potential to inhibit these harmful aggregates, offering a new approach for targeting aggressive cancers like glioblastoma. The findings open avenues for developing therapies to combat cancer at its molecular roots.

Journal

Communications Chemistry

Funder

Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support (FAPERJ)