News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 18-Jun-2025 01:10 ET (18-Jun-2025 05:10 GMT/UTC)

12-Jul-2022

Have Antillean manatees crossed the Panama Canal?

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Over half a century ago, a group of manatees from Bocas del Toro was flown into the artificial Gatun Lake to control the abundance of aquatic plants and for public health reasons. Where are they now?

Journal

Marine Mammal Science

8-Jul-2022

Study shows that 8% of athletes have persistent symptoms after contracting COVID-19

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

Researchers at the University of São Paulo analyzed 43 scientific articles with data for some 11,500 athletes. The findings point to the need for carefully personalized assessment of athletes and sports players before a resumption of training is allowed, they warn

Journal

British Journal of Sports Medicine

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

5-Jul-2022

Peptide with anti-obesity action is successfully tested in animal trial

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

In mice fed a high-fat diet, the molecule mitigated weight gain while reducing insulin resistance and liver fattiness. An article describing the results of the study by researchers at the University of São Paulo and collaborators is published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Journal

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

5-Jul-2022

Experts warn about the need for seeking novel treatments for parasitic worm diseases

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

Advanced drug discovery methods have led to advances in the search for treatments for some neglected tropical diseases, including leishmaniasis and Chagas, but research on schistosomiasis and other diseases caused by worms remains at an early stage, according to an article in Drug Discovery Today by Brazilian researchers

Journal

Drug Discovery Today

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

1-Jul-2022

What are whale sharks up to?

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Satellite-tracking of the largest fish in the ocean offered insight into their migratory and feeding behavior, but their breeding grounds are still a mystery.

Journal

Frontiers in Marine Science

Funder

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Mar Viva Foundation, International Community Foundation, Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación de Panamá (SENACYT)

28-Jun-2022

How the pandemic and social distancing have changed our perception of time

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

Brazilian researchers surveyed 900 volunteers via an online platform for five months. Most reported feeling that time passed more slowly during home confinement in the early months of the pandemic, associating this perception with feelings of loneliness and a lack of positive experiences in the period.

Journal

Science Advances

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

24-Jun-2022

Novel sewage treatment system removes up to 70% of nitrogen that would otherwise be discarded into nature

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

Brazilian researchers have designed a new low-cost anaerobic reactor that uses a bacterial biofilm on a sheet of polyurethane foam. The goal is to enable more wastewater treatment plants in Brazil to achieve nitrogen removal and reduce water body contamination.

Journal

Environmental Technology

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

23-Jun-2022

Scientists use human breast milk to treat prolonged COVID-19 in a severely immunodeficient patient

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

The female patient had a genetic disease that dysregulates the immune system, impairing its inflammatory response and antibody production. The virus was eliminated after week-long ingestion of breast milk donated by a woman who had been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. The case is reported in the journal Viruses by researchers at the University of Campinas in Brazil.

Journal

Viruses

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

22-Jun-2022

Physical exercise boosts beneficial cardiovascular effects of losartan in men with high blood pressure

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

The finding comes from a clinical trial by researchers at the University of São Paulo who recruited 32 male volunteers and have now published the results in Clinical and Experimental Hypertension.

Journal

Clinical and Experimental Hypertension

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

21-Jun-2022

Foodomics: Exploring the biomolecules that will help us get to know our food

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers are starting to explore the tens of thousands of biomolecules in the foods we eat every day, with the goal of using “foodomics” as a data-driven approach to revolutionize nutrition and sustainable diets, according to a recent paper from Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT researchers and their international collaborators.

Journal

Frontiers in Nutrition