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Large mammals and birds that can swallow fruit of different sizes are crucial to assure rich animal-plant interactions, thanks to which forests thrive, according to a study conducted at São Paulo State University.

Conducted by an international group that included Brazilian scientists, the project created charts that show how the brain grows rapidly in early life and shrinks as we age. The researchers hope the charts will one day be used in clinical practice.

Interaction between a quantum system and its environment realizes a kind of “natural selection” thanks to which, of the various kinds of possible behavior in this world, only those compatible with the classical scenario survive at the macroscopic scale. A new study shows what is necessary for this to happen.

The warning comes from a letter by Brazilian researchers published in the journal Science, highlighting the “dramatic increase” in deforestation in areas of the Amazon that should act as shields against such destruction.

Experiments conducted in Brazil suggest that molecules secreted by the bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila, more abundant in Parkinson’s, promote aggregation of the protein alpha-synuclein in intestinal cells. Clumps of the protein, which are known to be associated with development of the disease, may migrate from the gut to the brain.

The startup supported by FAPESP produces all of the inputs for the test and will supply them to partner companies that will assemble kits and distribute them to retailers.

Findings published by researchers at the University of São Paulo may point to novel therapeutic targets for aging-related disorders such as neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases.

The material is not an active ingredient but an adjuvant, and was successfully tested on an influenza virus in research conducted by an international team of scientists with Brazilian participation and reported in an article in Nature.

The discovery paves the way to a deeper understanding of the thermal responses to inflammation and infection in vertebrates. The capacity to regulate hypothermia may have been conserved from a distant ancestor or acquired independently by mammals and birds.

The finding by Brazilian researchers was based on data for 3,587 adolescents who took part in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Another finding of concern is a 63% higher risk of visceral obesity, which correlates closely with metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.

Introducing more modern agricultural practices in Brazil could save farmers more than USD 20 billion in coming decades via a reduction in the use of phosphate fertilizer alone, a study by the University of São Paulo shows.

Entitled BIOTA 2030, the draft for FAPESP’s biodiversity research program was presented in an online event on March 26. A recording of the event can be watched on YouTube. Contributions from the academic community can be submitted until April 29.

An international team of astronomers investigated the chemical composition of more than 100 binary star systems and detected evidence of planet engulfment by the central star. The discovery has implications for the search for solar systems like our own.

By combining acoustic levitation and X-ray diffraction with synchrotron light, the researchers were able to analyze the interactions of a drug’s atoms in real time and improve its formulation.

In an article published in the journal PLOS ONE, Brazilian scientists show that the number of domestic dogs in an area influences the risk of transmission of the disease and that areas in which cases occur remain high-risk areas.

A study that heard participants in women-only meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous in São Paulo (Brazil) detected a strong feeling of rejection and loneliness due to the social stigma attached to alcoholism in women.

The legacy of the pandemic and the challenges of mission-oriented research were discussed by heads of funding agencies, research institutions and universities at a seminar co-hosted by FAPESP and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development. Mariana Mazzucato, a professor at University College London, delivered an online keynote presentation.

These ants emerged some 8.5 million years ago and underwent an intense speciation process between 1 million and 3 million years ago, when the Brazilian savanna was expanding. The recent advance of agriculture in the region, however, appears to be reducing this biodiversity and selecting species that damage crops.

Results published in Scientific Reports by a research group at the Federal University of São Paulo help scientists understand why patients with metabolic syndrome are among those worst affected by COVID-19.

Known as pineapple sett rot, the disease reduces cane budding by up to 50%. Results obtained by scientists in Brazil will bolster the search for biological fungicides that offer an alternative to agrochemicals.

The importance of innovation was stressed by participants in the ninth FAPESP 60 Years Conference, who also highlighted the fall in public-sector investment in R&D in recent years.

In an editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Bruno Gualano, a professor at the University of São Paulo (Brazil), reviews what scientists know about the relationship between regular exercise and the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2.

The point was stressed by Jean Ometto, a senior researcher at Brazil’s National Space Research Institute (INPE) and a Lead Author of the latest installment of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report, during a webinar held by FAPESP. Four other Brazilian researchers who contributed to the document also took part in the event.

This was the main finding of a study by scientists affiliated with a FAPESP-supported research center. The effect may be associated with a mechanism whereby the fruit increases expression of an insulin-related microRNA.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo have developed a portable device made from graphite, silver particles and polyurethane that detects BPA, a chemical compound harmful to health and considered an indicator of the presence of emerging pollutants in river or tap water.

A study shows how extracellular vesicles share information among cells in the same species, enabling the colony to respond in a coordinated manner to the host organism’s defenses.

Brazilian researchers analyzed the mechanisms by which estuarine plants absorb iron at the mouth of the Doce River, which was polluted by massive amounts of tailings from the 2015 Fundão dam disaster.

Brazilian researchers measured this increase in immunity in a study involving health workers who had received two doses of CoronaVac. In subjects given the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the same booster raised immunity by a factor of 7.

Scientists at a FAPESP-funded research center reprogrammed skin cells from patients with epilepsy to differentiate into cortical organoids with hallmarks of the malformation known as focal cortical dysplasia.

Species sensitive to habitat change are gradually being replaced by more resistant species, according to a study conducted in Brazil. The trend is leading to a loss of the ecological functions performed by the vanishing species.

Whole-genome sequences of 1,171 elderly people living in São Paulo City were analyzed to detect mutations responsible for disease or that play a key role in healthy aging.

A study by researchers at the University of São Paulo advocates closer monitoring of these patients and prescribing more powerful drugs to combat atherosclerosis.

Pythiosis affects humans, horses and other animals, often requiring surgery and even amputation. A study conducted at São Paulo State University has discovered seven potential antigens that can serve as a basis for tests and vaccines.

Researchers at São Paulo State University followed young men and women aged 20-40 without pre-existing disease. The findings show that obesity and physical inactivity increase the impact of the disease on the autonomic nervous system, which regulates blood pressure, heart rate and breathing, among other functions.

The strategy was tested at the Federal University of São Carlos and found to permit a reduction in the amount of fertilizer used by farmers, mitigating its environmental impact.

The app is one of the outcomes of an initiative by researchers in Brazil, Germany and the UK to engage local communities in generating data on flood-prone areas. The researchers are also collecting memories of past incidents.

Genetic sequencing enables scientists to identify 79 different species of coralline algae serving as a habitat for countless marine organisms on the Brazilian coast, with many yet to be explored in deep waters.

Triple-negative breast cancer grows rapidly and is highly likely to metastasize. Experiments with mice identified a molecule that binds to a defense cell receptor and activates an immune response against the tumor.

First-ever study to show correlation between inhibition of protein HSP70 and dysfunction of cells in inner lining of blood vessels, one of the factors involved in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Designed for use as food packaging, the material is produced by scientists at São Paulo State University from gelatin, clay and a nanoemulsion of black pepper essential oil.

Brazilian scientists tested a participatory disaster risk monitoring strategy in a town that was partially destroyed in 2010 after an unprecedented flood. The methodology can be applied in other parts of the country.

A group at the University of São Paulo has shown how metabolic alterations lead to a buildup of cholesterol in the cells of diabetic patients.

Study involving 672 Brazilians aged 16-24 with internet access showed that distance education did not have a direct impact on mental health.

A study conducted in Brazil combined use of aerial photography and artificial intelligence to identify socio-economically deprived urban areas at risk for diseases transmitted by Aedes aegypti.

With joint support from FAPESP and the government innovation agency, researchers at Eyetec have drastically reduced the number of components needed to make the device.

These factors combined have worsened the severe drought conditions in the transition zone between the eastern Amazon and the Brazilian savanna, where the main soybean-producing region (MaToPiBa) is located. The researchers who detected the trend warn that crop yields could fall.

Brazilian researchers conducted a randomized clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of a 12-week home exercise program for 32 volunteers who had been hospitalized after contracting COVID-19.

Scholars attending the 8th FAPESP 60 Years Conference discussed the impacts of the modernist movement on Brazilian culture and its repercussions for education and research in the ensuing decades.

Experiments in mice show for the first time that mutant mitochondrial DNA builds up during the final stage of egg formation. The discovery will serve as a basis for novel strategies to prevent transmission.

A system developed by a startup supported by FAPESP proves capable of predicting diabetic foot with over 85% accuracy. Foot complications occur in 34% of diabetics.