News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 18-Aug-2025 12:11 ET (18-Aug-2025 16:11 GMT/UTC)

31-Jul-2023

Luzio, who lived in São Paulo 10,000 years ago, was Amerindian like Indigenous people now, DNA reveals

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

Luzio, who lived in São Paulo 10,000 years ago, was Amerindian like Indigenous people now, DNA reveals An investigation covering four different parts of Brazil carried out analysis of genomic data from 34 fossils, including larger skeletons and the famous mounds of shells and fishbones built on the coast, and revealed differences between communities. An article on the study is published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

Journal

Nature Ecology & Evolution

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

31-Jul-2023

Study proposes refinement of models to project ecosystem services in montane forests

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

Modeling projections depend on the installation of networks specific to these areas in Brazil and the Andes, where the available data falls far short of what is needed.

Journal

Plant Ecology

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

26-Jul-2023

Research with Brazilian participation is first to create models of bovine embryos

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

The results pave the way for breeding of cattle with selected traits. Preliminary work findings for human embryo models recently published by international groups could contribute to the understanding of congenital defects and early pregnancy loss.

Journal

Cell Stem Cell

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

25-Jul-2023

Compound reduced inflammation in COVID-19-infected mice without compromising immune response to virus

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

A team affiliated with a FAPESP-supported research center showed in mice that molecules capable of preventing the peptide C5a from binding to its cellular receptor helped prevent lung damage and other complications typical of severe COVID-19.

Journal

Journal of Clinical Investigation

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

24-Jul-2023

Consumption of soluble dietary fiber favors renewal of intestinal epithelial cells, study shows

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

A study conducted by Brazilian researchers and reported in an article published in the journal Microbiome shows that a diet containing suitable amounts of inulin, a soluble fiber abundant in chicory roots, for example, can influence even the length and other macroscopic characteristics of the intestines.

Journal

Microbiome

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

21-Jul-2023

Novel targets identified for treatment of schistosomiasis

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

Researchers at Butantan Institute in São Paulo, Brazil, discovered that survival of the parasitic worm that causes the disease depends on expression of a specific type of RNA. In animal trials, inhibition of the molecule interrupted the infection.

Journal

PLOS Pathogens

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

19-Jul-2023

SARS-CoV-2 infects liver, stimulating glucose production and contributing to severe form of COVID-19

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

A study conducted at the University of São Paulo and reported in PNAS explains hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients and shows how SARS-CoV-2 causes symptoms similar to those of diabetes.

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

18-Jul-2023

Brazilian coast is warmer and is having more frequent extreme temperature events, study shows

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

An article by scientists at the Federal University of São Paulo shows that the South and Southeast of Brazil are the most affected regions, and that Espírito Santo is the state most affected by waves of heat and cold.

Journal

Scientific Reports

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

17-Jul-2023

Research group develops biodegradable film that keeps food fresh for longer

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

The material was designed by Brazilian researchers and includes a derivative of limonene from citrus rind, blended with chitosan, a biopolymer from exoskeletons of crustaceans.

Journal

Food Packaging and Shelf Life

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

12-Jul-2023

Marine fossils unearth story about Panama’s deep past

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New fossil mammal specimens from Caribbean Panama suggest ongoing marine interchange during the final stages of formation of the isthmus connecting North and South America.

Journal

Biology Letters

Funder

National Secretary of Science and Technology of Panama, Ricardo Perez S.A., Candoc, Explorers Club Rolex, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute