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Through experiments involving mice, Brazilian researchers discovered that a molecule released by the brain during exercise breaks down fatty acids in skeletal muscle tissue and continues to do so after the exercise has ceased.

Genomic analyses performed by researchers in Brazil and Germany suggest that different groups of reptiles submitted to similar environmental conditions developed convergent adaptations independently.

At a meeting held in São Paulo city, researchers from the Brazilian state of São Paulo and the Netherlands described their work on the development of prosthetics and other implantable biomaterials. FAPESP will invest BRL 15.2 million to fund the projects selected in the call.

The event will be an opportunity to recall past achievements, discuss the current status of genomics, and forecast future developments in pathogen, cancer and agri-environmental genomics.

The process is associated with warming of the ocean subsurface resulting in a reduction of surface salinity due to the release of huge iceberg armadas from glaciers.

Scientists at the Federal University of São Carlos adapted material derived from sugarcane bagasse and papermaking to replace the synthetic polymers available on the market and used by growers. The main aim was to avoid the discharge of non-biodegradable chemicals into the soil.

A technique developed by Brazilian researchers enhances the efficiency of breeding programs, saving selection time and the cost of plant genotyping and characterization.

Measuring handgrip strength is one of the main ways of detecting sarcopenia, a syndrome characterized by loss of muscle mass, force and function. Researchers in Brazil and the UK recommended raising the minimum value considered normal, after analyzing data for more than 6,000 men and women aged 60 and over.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo tested the anthelmintic niclosamide on mice and human blood cells. In addition to exhibiting antiviral action, the drug deactivated the cellular mechanism that triggers a cytokine storm. A novel formulation is required for the active principle to reach the lungs and treat severe COVID-19 in humans.

In an online seminar hosted by FAPESP, researchers discussed how social subjects who live in the Amazon are portrayed by documentaries about the impact of extractivism and large dams.

Focusing on astronomy and astrophysics, the 14th FAPESP 60 Years Conference featured three leading scientists in the field, including Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt.

Analysis of skin tumor samples showed correlations between changes in proteins that regulate the organism and prognosis. The results, published in Nature Communications, were obtained by researchers in Brazil and France.

Scientists at the University of São Paulo investigated how this theoretical construction behaves in materials that exhibit defects and are subject to external magnetic fields. Their findings are reported in Physical Review Letters.

For the next five years, Euclides de Mesquita Neto will be responsible for coordinating the activities of the GRC, which connects more than 60 research funding agencies on all continents.

One of the aims of the investment is to accelerate the growth of the market for midsize to large autonomous drones.

An article in Disaster Prevention and Management describes the course of discussions involving Brazil and the UK on how to improve flood risk governance. The project has produced an application and learning guide resulting from community participation.

The event will be held next year at the State University of Campinas (São Paulo state, Brazil) and will celebrate the ninetieth birthday of mathematician Newton da Costa. Students and researchers have until October 30 to apply.

Brazilian researchers have developed a tool that encodes patient identification data as DNA sequences and integrates databases with millions of records despite misspellings and omissions. The platform is fast and accurate and can be used for epidemiological analysis and public policy formulation.

Brazilian researchers and collaborators found that Beauveria caledonica can be used for biological control of banana borers and Fusarium wilt, which are serious threats to a tropical and subtropical crop of the highest economic importance. The soil fungus supplements traditional banana plantation management strategies.

The results of animal trials were published recently in Nature Communications. The researchers have received the green light from the national health surveillance authority to proceed with testing on humans.

FAPESP has long supported the company that developed the system, which identifies people from small fragments of finger and palm prints. It passed a key certification test set by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology.

According to the article, Brazil has had more success than any other country with the use of biofertilizer to provide nitrogen for soybeans. The inoculation of microorganisms into the soil boosts yields, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and saves some USD 10 billion per year in imports of synthetic fertilizer.

However, scientific research is essential to take innovation to the countryside and raise yields without increasing deforestation, according to the experts who participated in an online seminar organized by FAPESP and the São Paulo State Academy of Sciences.

Research by groups at the University of São Paulo and the State University of Campinas combined MRI scans of the brains of mild COVID-19 patients, analysis of brain tissue from people who died of the disease and experiments on human nerve cells infected in the laboratory.

Research conducted in São Paulo, the largest city in the southern hemisphere, also found sidewalk width and tree height to be key factors. The results will be used in tree management and urban planning.

A study conducted at the State University of Campinas provides a foundation for future research to confirm identification of the best candidate genes for biotech applications such as insertion into commercially valuable plants and development of sugarcane varieties resistant to environmental pressures.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo analyzed air samples collected near the hospital complex run by its medical school and found that the more plastic they contained, the higher the viral load. The results of the study suggest SARS-CoV-2 binds to microplastic and more easily enters the upper airways and lungs.

Twenty-one patients with metabolic syndrome were given a calorie or protein restriction diet in a randomized clinical trial by Brazilian and Danish researchers. Weight loss, controlled blood pressure and improved blood sugar and lipid levels were observed in all participants.

Eduardo Góes Neves, an archeologist at the University of São Paulo, sets out this and other findings of 15 years of research in a book for non-specialists.

A study published in the journal Vaccines used samples from blood banks in seven Brazilian state capitals to measure levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and the extent to which vaccines afford protection against the delta variant.

Proteomic analysis suggests zika virus causes alterations in the expression of proteins linked to the metabolism of developing neural cells, and proteins associated with the maturation of oligodendrocytes.

A study by Brazilian researchers analyzed risk factors and found that reducing smoking prevented most deaths from cardiovascular disease, while high blood sugar had the most significant impact on mortality.

In a special issue of the journal Science, some of the leading experts on the subject argue that rehabilitating degraded areas requires more complex solutions that take the biome’s specificities into account.

Conservation of CO2 stocks in the biome is highly affected by forest degradation, which could lead to at least 30% higher emissions than those produced by climate change. The warning comes from a paper by Brazilian scientists published in Science Advances.

As Brazil commemorates the two-hundredth anniversary of its independence, Museu Paulista reopens after a thorough renovation and internal restructuring of the historical building, built in the nineteenth century as a monument to the colony’s liberation. A new floor has been added and integrated with the French-style gardens to house temporary exhibitions and welcome visitors.

The study involved the use of biosensors, algorithms and open-source software to build a miniature microscope. The findings contribute to a better understanding of how our brains track and retain information about routes and learn new locations.

Researchers at the State University of Campinas have edited the genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the brewer’s yeast used to produce ethanol, so that it converts xylose into xylitol. The strategy can add value to the ethanol industry and meet demand for a healthier sweetener.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo and collaborators showed that the aquatic plant can scavenge up to 34 times more manganese from contaminated soil than other plants found in similar environments.

An international group of scientists presents this conclusion in an article in Nature Microbiology, warning that novel antifungal medications are urgently.

The topic was discussed by French historian Serge Gruzinski in a lecture delivered at the FAPESP 60 Years School in Humanities, Social Sciences and Arts.

Genetic analysis of Aquarana catesbeiana, a species that originally came from North America and is now found in nine Brazilian states, shows that the lineage introduced in 1935 prevails in both captive and feral bullfrogs. Law enforcement to maintain sanitary standards is difficult. The invaders prey on native amphibians and transmit diseases to them.

The results of a study conducted by Brazilian researchers will be useful both for epidemiological surveillance and to improve the treatment available to patients. An article on the study is published in PLOS ONE.

A startup supported by FAPESP has developed software to process legal cases, winning an important order from Brazil’s federal court of auditors.

The topic was discussed on August 9 by Barry O’Keefe of the US National Cancer Institute during the FAPESP 60 Years School on Exact, Natural and Life Sciences. The other speakers on the second day of the event were José Nelson Onuchic of Rice University and Virgilio Almeida of the Federal University of Minas Gerais.

The system is being developed by a Brazilian startup supported by FAPESP and can be used by biologists in scientific research, by NGOs to track endangered species, and by environmental consultants.

The type of ependymoma studied mainly affects children, has a low survival rate and has no specific chemotherapeutic treatment. A combination of two experimental drugs inhibited tumor growth in vitro.

This and related issues were discussed by Martin Ravallion from Georgetown University and Marcelo Medeiros from Columbia University (USA) during the 13th FAPESP 60 Years Conference.

Researchers in Brazil have developed a selection method performed directly with coffee beans in real time. It does not require roasting, does not destroy the samples and can be included as a step in the production process.

The combination is particularly dangerous for women, according to a study by researchers in Brazil and the UK who analyzed data for 5,310 people aged 50+ followed in a ten-year health survey.

While some patients die with a high viral load and little inflammation, others succumb to inflammatory complications that arise after the virus is eliminated from the organism. According to scientists at the University of São Paulo, lasting inflammasome activation is key in such cases. The findings can be used to develop personalized therapeutic approaches.