News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 14-Jan-2026 12:11 ET (14-Jan-2026 17:11 GMT/UTC)

24-Jan-2020

The skin of the earth is home to pac-man-like protists

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The most common groups of soil protists behave exactly like Pac-Man: moving through the soil matrix, gobbling up bacteria according to a new article in Science Advances.

Journal

Science Advances

Funder

a Graduate Fellowship from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, US National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Simons Foundation

23-Jan-2020

Novel approach to immune system could lead to personalized therapy against sepsis

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

Two mechanisms could afford an alternative approach to studying and treating severe conditions such as sepsis. A combination of resistance to pathogens by means of fever; and temporary tolerance promoted by controlled hypothermia.

Journal

Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

22-Jan-2020

Scientific evidence found for role of stress in hair whitening

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

20-Jan-2020

Want to know what climate change will do in your back yard? There's a dataset for that

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

The 7-terabyte dataset, the largest of its kind, helps envision climate-change scenarios at scales as small as 1 kilometer. A new review validates and describes the dataset.

Journal

Scientific Data

20-Jan-2020

Zika inhibits the proliferation of prostate cancer cells

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

Experiments performed by Brazilian scientists showed that Zika virus inhibits tumor cell proliferation even when inactivated by high temperature. The study was supported by FAPESP and published in Scientific Reports.

Journal

Scientific Reports

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

15-Jan-2020

Study contests use of smoked cannabis in treatment of cocaine addiction

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

Researchers in Brazil evaluated cocaine and crack addicts undergoing rehabilitation for six months and observed a higher relapse rate and worse cognitive impairment among patients who smoked cannabis to try to mitigate their craving for cocaine.

Journal

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

10-Jan-2020

Trace Metals in Leatherback Turtle Eggs May Harm Consumers

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Leatherback turtle eggs in the Panamanian Caribbean may be harmful to the health of consumers, due to the concentrations of trace metals found in them. Increasing awareness among local doctors, health workers and the public about these risks may be beneficial for the conservation of this endangered species.

Journal

Chemosphere

Funder

Tecnología e Innovación de Panamá., Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Gas Natural Fenosa Panama (now Naturgy Panama), Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

8-Jan-2020

Brazilian scientists unveil chemotherapy resistance mechanism related to p53 mutation

Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (INBEB)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Brazilian study uncovered an anticancer chemotherapy resistance mechanism related to amyloid aggregation of mutant p53. The research was conducted in cells derived from glioblastoma, a super aggressive brain tumor, and in living cells. The results open up new opportunities for the development of more effective therapies against cancer.

Journal

iScience

6-Jan-2020

Jaguars could prevent a not-so-great American biotic exchange

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In eastern Panama, canid species from North and South America are occurring together for the first time. Urban and agricultural development and deforestation along the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor might be generating a new passageway for these invasive species adapted to human disturbance.

Journal

Journal of Mammalogy

Funder

Sistema de Producción Sostenible para la Conservación de la Biodiversidad-Ministerio de Ambiente, North Carolina State University

19-Dec-2019

Asteroid collisions trigger cascading formation of subfamilies, study concludes

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

Scientists have always thought about fission clusters as entirely distinct from collisional families. Now a study conducted by researchers affiliated with UNESP has shown that fission clusters may originate from collisional families in some cases.

Journal

Nature Astronomy

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab