News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 13-Jan-2026 03:11 ET (13-Jan-2026 08:11 GMT/UTC)

12-Aug-2021

Tree falls during dry season in São Paulo City are due to poor management, study suggests

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

An article in Trees - Structure and Function reports findings from an analysis of 7,000 tree falls in a three-year period. Stormy weather was the main cause during the rainy season.

Journal

Trees

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

11-Aug-2021

Birds that disperse more types of seed have better evolutionary chances

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

A study conducted at the University of São Paulo and published in Science correlates birds and plants in seed dispersal networks

Journal

Science

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

10-Aug-2021

Biosensor permits ultra-fast and cheap detection of SARS-CoV-2

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

Impedance analyzer connected to DNA biosensor that can be used to detect genetic sequence from SARS-CoV-2.

Journal

Materials Chemistry Frontiers

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

9-Aug-2021

What happens when bats are given three choices?

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

How does having a third choice (a decoy) change the way fruit-eating bats choose what to eat?

Journal

Animal Behaviour

9-Aug-2021

Combination of muscle strengthening and aerobic exercises can reduce cancer mortality

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

Meta-analysis by researchers at UNIFESP in partnership with universities in Spain and Chile supports the idea that muscle strengthening can not only reduce cancer incidence and morality but also yield even greater benefits when it is associated with aerobic activities.

Journal

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

4-Aug-2021

Enzyme from Amazon fungus could enhance efficiency of second-generation ethanol production

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

The molecule described by Brazilian researchers in the journal Scientific Reports acts on different sugars present in several sources of plant biomass, making it attractive to other industries as well.

Journal

Scientific Reports

2-Aug-2021

Punishment enforces cooperation in the fig-wasp mutualism: The exception proves the rule

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Mutually beneficial relationships are common, but what happens when one partner stops enforcing the other’s good behavior? An exception to the usual relationship between figs and their pollinator-wasps, may hold the answer.

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

30-Jul-2021

Scientists explore Bacillus strains to control fungus spread in bananas

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

The Fusiarium wilt TR4 is ravaging banana plantations around the world. The Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT and partners in Yunnan, China explored the ability of five Bacillus strains to control the spread of TR4 by identifying its biocontrol activities through RT-qPCR.

Journal

Journal of Fungus

29-Jul-2021

Researchers propose a method of magnetizing a material without applying an external magnetic field

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

The study shows that the phenomenon can be produced by means of adiabatic compression, without any exchange of heat with the environment. The process aligns the spins of the material’s particles and magnetizes the system.

Journal

Scientific Reports

29-Jul-2021

Caribbean asphyxiation

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

For the first time ever, a group of researchers caught a marine hypoxia event in the act and could characterize its ongoing effects on corals, marine invertebrates and marine microbes.

Journal

Nature Communications

Funder

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Smithsonian Institution's Marine Global Earth Observatory (MarineGEO), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration