News

A study published in the journal Science shows for the first time the degree of threat to all tree species in the biome, classifying 65% as vulnerable or endangered to some extent. According to the authors, their findings are conservative – the actual situation could be even more alarming.

Even under the best-case scenario, mathematical models suggest 87% of mammals will be left without a habitat in the Caatinga within three and a half decades. The loss will be worst in the eastern portion of the biome, where its main cities are located.

The funding will be for scientific expeditions under the current call for proposals which is taking applications until April 29, 2024.

Research conducted at the University of São Paulo shows how interaction between plant hormone gibberellin and small RNA molecules enables development of ovaries, followed by fruit and seeds. This knowledge serves as a basis for ways to increase tomato yield.

The school will provide a set of intensive courses for postgraduate students and early-career researchers on the recent developments in the economics of technological change and in ST&I policy studies. Registrations are due on January 26, 2024.

Agrosmart, a startup based in São Paulo state, presented its portfolio of solutions during COP28, the UN Climate Change Conference held in Dubai.

The International Panel for Ocean Sustainability (IPOS) will translate scientific information into policymaking decisions that help protect the world’s oceans.

The device is under preclinical trials; the sponge is made of soft, biodegradable material and releases medication slowly into the organism.

Fragments of hemorrhagic toxins that may help treat high blood pressure were found in the venom of the pit viper Cotiara, which inhabits the South of Brazil, and that of the South American bushmaster, a denizen of tropical rainforests. The molecules might one day be used in drugs with fewer adverse side effects.

The kit is designed to be used for screening. If the result is negative, it should be repeated a year later. If positive, the individual should see a specialist.

The main aim is to optimize farm management via real-time control of animal productivity and environmental impacts, among other things.

Entanglement is a key concept in quantum physics and a condition for the success of quantum computing.

A survey conducted in a Brazilian state with the country’s second-highest number of ophidic accidents draws attention to the need to train health workers to complete notification forms correctly. Better data will help improve research and antivenom distribution.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo identified in mice the neurons associated with the anxiolytic effect of growth hormone. Their discovery paves the way for the development of novel classes of medications for neuropsychiatric disorders.

Surveys conducted in the Cerrado since the 1990s show falling biodiversity as the agricultural frontier advances in the vicinity of Emas National Park. Species with biotechnological potential are dwindling and even disappearing.

The map is derived from a study conducted by researchers at Brazil’s space research institute and collaborators, and combined airborne laser scanning, satellite imagery and forest inventories. The results will support planning, conservation and sustainable management decisions.

Brazilian researchers tested a photocatalyst based on zinc oxide and found it to perform well in degrading sertraline, an emerging pollutant.

The study is the first-ever demonstration of the anatomical substrate for the cardiac arrhythmias that occur in human yellow fever.

The event took place in São Paulo on November 29-30 to foster interaction and promote center-to-center relations.

Researchers at São Paulo State University tested the action of nanoparticles loaded with antibiotics and other antimicrobial compounds on cells infected by the bacillus that causes tuberculosis. The results suggest the strategy can overcome multidrug bacterial resistance.

A study conducted at the University of São Paulo’s Optics and Photonics Research Center in Brazil showed a change in the bacterium’s sensitivity after five applications.

A review article by Brazilian researchers lists recent discoveries on this chronic inflammatory skin disease, which affects around 10% of adults and 25% of children.

Brazilian researchers analyzed air pollution in metropolitan São Paulo in 2019-20 when mobility restrictions and social distancing applied in the southern hemisphere’s largest city. Even so, the daily average exceeded the World Health Organization’s air quality standard on 75 days.

A Brazilian startup’s AI algorithms detect infestations, classify weeds and produce localized spraying files.

The event is being organized by the State University of Campinas with FAPESP’s support. About 80 applicants will be selected. Priority will be given to PhD candidates, early-career researchers, public servants with a master’s degree and Indigenous community leaders with recognized know-how in this field.

The artist outlined her life’s work in the Eighth FAPESP 2023 Lecture, which was entitled “Roots that emerge: interweavings of art and science”.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo’s São Carlos Institute of Physics developed the technique, which can be used in information processing and cell marking, among many other applications.

This research carried out at the State University of Campinas focused on the use of nanometric optomechanical cavities as bridges between superconducting circuits and optical fibers, with applications in computing and quantum communications.

Scientists in Brazil have tested a method to obtain a substance similar to estrogen from soy isoflavones. They aim to create a product that reduces the discomfort suffered by many women in the menopause.

Infection by SARS-CoV-2 can suppress the expression of mitochondrial genes involved in production of ATP cell fuel in many vital organs. The discovery paves the way to a search for strategies to restore mitochondrial function.

The Center for Carbon Research in Tropical Agriculture (CCARBON) is a Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center (RIDC) supported by FAPESP and hosted by the University of São Paulo’s Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ-USP). It was officially launched on November 17 and aims to make food, fiber and energy productivity part of the solution to the climate crisis.

Results of tests with the substance pave the way for the development of medications or specific vaccines against zika, for which there is currently no treatment. The number of cases rose 20% year on year in the first seven months of 2023.

Hosted by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), the new center will establish Agricultural Technology Districts in which to conduct research, development and innovation activities in emerging technologies. The initiative has the potential to reach 14,000 small and medium rural properties.

The device, which combines magnetic fluorescent nanoparticles, was designed at the Center for Development of Functional Materials, a research center supported by FAPESP and hosted by the Federal University of São Carlos.

Albeit less lethal than synthetic insecticides, this fungus-based substance is not detected by social insects and can spread spores to entire nests, threatening the survival of species that play a key role in pest control and pollination.

In an article published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers at the University of São Paulo show that damage to small blood vessels in the lungs caused by SARS-CoV-2 is the main factor underlying severe COVID-19.

The goal is to produce sustainable aviation fuel from sugarcane biomass and ethanol.

A study conducted in Brazil analyzed marine sediments to investigate gas exchanges between the ocean and the atmosphere in the recent past. The researchers concluded that a rise in the temperature of the South Atlantic caused a release of CO₂ trapped at the bottom of the Southern Ocean.

Technology developed by a startup supported by FAPESP has been used to improve the performance of athletes like soccer goalkeeper Ederson, who plays for Manchester City and Brazil’s national side, and to reduce the number of accidents caused by human error in the petrochemical and meatpacking industries.

Scientists at the State University of Campinas analyzed samples taken at 15 points in the basin comprising the Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiaí Rivers, and detected 45 contaminants, including compounds from agricultural, industrial and household effluents not yet regulated by Brazilian legislation.

The research focused on the damage done to DNA indirectly by oxidizing chemical species such as the hydroxyl radical.

The One Planet Polar Summit was attended by people from over 40 countries, including researchers, experts, members of business enterprises and nonprofits, and representatives of Indigenous Peoples.

Senior executives of the foundation visited leading Italian universities and scientific institutions with the aim of increasing collaboration.

The study by researchers at the University of São Paulo also shows that genetic engineering techniques need to be improved in order to increase ethanol production without expanding crop acreage, a strategy considered crucial to the effort to cope with climate change.

Called SpiNTec, the vaccine can induce a more lasting immune response and should be more effective than vaccines currently available in Brazil against variants of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, according to the leader of the local vaccine development project, who took part in the FAPESP 2023 School in Exact and Natural Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

On a visit to São Paulo to participate in the FAPESP 2023 Interdisciplinary School in Exact and Natural Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, astrophysicist Duília de Mello argued that science popularization can combat epistemic bubbles.

A group of organizations led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography have established an online platform to raise the visibility of the ocean and highlight its importance to climate negotiations and life on the planet.

A computational study conducted by the Center for Development of Functional Materials at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in Brazil could help extend the working lives of these batteries, which are widely used by utilities and manufacturers.

A technological solution developed by a Brazilian startup with FAPESP’s support detects microorganisms that cause disease in eucalyptus, soybeans and other agricultural plants. They can be detected in grains, leaves and the air.

The fossil assemblage was found in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, one of Brazil’s richest paleontological regions. The bones belonged to animals that lived between 247 million and 208 million years ago. It is difficult to confirm they can be considered species of dinosaur.