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News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 19-Oct-2026 13:17 ET (19-Oct-2026 17:17 GMT/UTC)

Satellites tracking the pulse of northern Ecuador’s volcanoes

Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral

A study conducted by researchers from ESPOL, the University of Cagliari (Italy) and the Technical University of Manabí (UTM) used satellite radar images to investigate subtle ground movements at Guagua Pichincha, Rucu Pichincha, Pululahua and Cayambe between 2017 and 2024.

Journal: Environmental Challenges
Funder: Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Facultad de Ingeniería en Ciencias de la Tierra Universitá di Cagliari Universidad Técnica de Manabí

Corn farming sustained large pre-colonial villages in the Brazilian savanna

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

For the first time, research reveals the food subsistence strategies of these communities, which involved sophisticated land use practices that incorporated various species. Previously, it was believed that these populations were either hunter-gatherers or monoculture farmers.

Journal: Science Advances
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Survey of 102 cities reveals more than 40,000 new viruses

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

A study involving Brazilian researchers analyzed samples from subway stations, hospitals, bank branches, soil, and sewage in 31 countries. The researchers used genetic screening with a tool developed at the University of São Paulo.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Fossil discovered in São Paulo reveals new clues about the origin of snakes

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

A study published in the journal Nature shows that Tametara mirim lived underground, while a contemporary species from Argentina lived on the surface, indicating that an ecologically diverse population of snakes already existed 80 million years ago.

Journal: Nature
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Cyberbullying rarely occurs in isolation; it functions as an extension of school violence

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

A study by the Federal University of São Paulo indicates that adolescents involved in multiple contexts of violence are 11 times more likely to develop mental health issues, reinforcing the urgency of integrating anti-bullying efforts with drug prevention in schools.

Journal: Psychiatry Research
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Genetic analysis reveals that some specialty coffee seeds do not match their commercial identity

Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The study examined plants grown from Sidra and Gesha seeds and found discrepancies in two of the four morphotypes analysed.

Journal: Frontiers in Plant Science

The invisible backbone of the world's food system: What 327 studies from 64 countries tell us about informal food vendors

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

Uncovering the often invisible human side of our food: Food systems employ an estimated 1.23 billion people globally, and a majority of those jobs are informal, unlicensed, unregistered, or otherwise outside the reach of formal regulation. In low-income and middle-income countries especially, informal vendors are a linchpin of food security and livelihoods for over a billion people.

A new systematic scoping review in Food Policy looked across 64 countries to better understand how informality is defined and understood, and what this means for policies and food security.

Journal: Food Policy

Extreme drought and heat from the last El Niño signal a “new normal” for tropical forests

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

An international study reveals that the unprecedented heat stress of 2023–2024 will likely recur in the coming decades unless emissions are reduced. The Amazon is the most vulnerable region.

Journal: Earth's Future
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

New mathematical model makes image encryption more resilient to real-world uncertainty

Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral

In today's digital world, everything from medical images and financial records to personal photos and secure communications depends on encryption systems that can protect sensitive information. But real-world technologies rarely operate under perfect conditions. Measurements can be imprecise, hardware introduces small errors, and communication channels are often affected by noise.

Journal: Mathematics

System connects industrial waste generators with artisans from the outskirts of the city

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Startup uses technology to transform uniforms and advertising banners into income, reducing the time it takes to connect raw materials to labor by 89%.

Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

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