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News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Oct-2026 08:16 ET (25-Oct-2026 12:16 GMT/UTC)

Climate change could drastically reduce aquifer recharge in Brazil

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

Study shows that most of the country’s underground reservoirs will lose their capacity for renewal, increasing the risk of water shortages in several regions, especially the Southeast and South. One strategy to address the problem is “managed recharge,” which includes techniques that promote the infiltration of rainwater or even treated sewage.

Journal: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Ants defend plants from herbivores but can hinder pollination

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

Analysis of the interaction between ants, plants that secrete sweet substances to attract them, “interested” in defending themselves from leaf-eating animals, and bees indicates that the ants may scare away pollinators. Butterflies, on the other hand, are not bothered.

Journal: Journal of Ecology
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Research identifies immune response that controls Oropouche infection and prevents neurological damage

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

Study conducted on mice provides important information that may help in the treatment of the disease. Confirmations in Brazil have increased in recent year. B cells in the marginal zone of the spleen are the first lymphocytes to act in the body after infection, rapidly producing antibodies that prevent the virus from spreading

Journal: EBioMedicine
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Green tea improves insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in obese mice

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

A study in an animal model analyzed the muscle metabolism of guinea pigs on a high-calorie diet. Ultimately, consumption of the plant extract increased the expression of genes associated with glucose uptake and the activity of an essential metabolic enzyme.

Journal: Cell Biochemistry and Function
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Mysterious flag-waving behavior in a tropical bug is an anti-predator strategy

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama discovered that the matador bug’s hind leg-waving display is more than just a show — it helps protect it from predators.

Journal: Current Zoology

Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT launches project with Global Methane Hub to develop a decision support tool for grazing management to cut livestock emissions

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

The Time2Graze project will develop and equip farmers in Latin America with tools that assess pasture availability to identify the optimal time to graze livestock

Supported by the Global Methane Hub, the Time2Graze project is co-led by the World Resources Institute (WRI), the Alliance Bioversity International and Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the National Agriculture Research Institute of Uruguay (INIA) and WWF.

While the initial focus for the Alliance is on Colombia and Brazil, the project aims to progressively expand its reach across tropical Latin America and the Caribbean.

Cerrado wetlands are legally protected but neglected in practice

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

Non-compliance with the law, facilitated by errors in the technical language used in environmental licensing, has already led to the loss of over 580,000 hectares of native vegetation, 61% of which has been converted for agricultural use.

Journal: Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Artificial intelligence assessment indicates stress levels in farmed Amazonian fish

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

Brazilian researchers have developed a tool that can be used to improve animal welfare by assessing tambaqui fish based on the coloration of the lower half of their bodies. Brazil is the world’s largest producer of this species.

Journal: Aquaculture
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Variations in glucose levels may indicate severity of heart attack damage

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

Results from research conducted in Brazil show that glycemic delta is associated with the size of the heart attack and the strength of heart contractions. Acute myocardial infarction is the leading cause of death in Brazil.

Journal: Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Study confirms that inactive parents contribute to sedentary behavior in their children

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

Children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 are recommended to engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily. When parents maintain an active routine, their children are more likely to follow suit. According to research by São Paulo State University involving 182 children and adolescents aged 6 to 17, mothers’ influence in encouraging physical activity was more than twice that of fathers.

Journal: Sports Medicine and Health Science
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

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