News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 26-Oct-2026 06:16 ET (26-Oct-2026 10:16 GMT/UTC)

9-Aug-2020

 

Biodiversity may limit invasions: Lessons from lizards on Panama Canal islands

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Introduced species can become invasive, damaging ecosystems and disrupting economies through explosive population growth. One mechanism underlying population expansion in invasive populations is 'enemy release', whereby the invader experiences relaxation of agonistic interactions with other species, including parasites.

Journal

Biology Letters

Funder

Georgia Southern University, Smithsonian Institution, the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Foundation and the American Museum of Natural History

6-Aug-2020

 

Identifying local solutions in the Barotse floodplain for sustainable agricultural development

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

To develop locally relevant strategies that improve food security, nutrition, and conservation, researchers employed a gendered ecosystem services approach in Zambia.

Journal

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability

Funder

CGIAR Water Land and Ecosystems (WLE), Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH), Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS)

5-Aug-2020

 

An inventory providing information on more than 200 viruses that infect plants in Brazil

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

The largest database of plant viruses in Brazil serves as a tool for researchers, growers and policymakers.

Journal

Biota Neotropica

Funder

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

4-Aug-2020

 

Photodynamic therapy can combat secondary infections in COVID-19 patients

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

Researchers at the Optics and Photonics Research Center, supported by FAPESP, advocate the technique as an additional treatment for patients with the disease.

Journal

Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy

Funder

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

3-Aug-2020

 

Machine learning makes drug repurposing for psychiatric disorders more effective

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

Researchers have correlated information on drugs, genes and diseases to identify potential candidates for psychiatric and neurological treatment. The methodology they developed will be used to search for drugs against COVID-19.

Journal

Translational Psychiatry

Funder

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

29-Jul-2020

 

Genetically similar fungi cause severe infections in different hospitals

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

Present in the human digestive tract, species of Candida can cause bloodstream infections in patients treated in hospital intensive care units. An international study involving 16 hospitals found isolates with high levels of virulence

Journal

Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

Funder

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

28-Jul-2020

 

Oldest South American fossil lizard discovered in Brazil

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

The animal was approximately 10 cm long and lived more than 130 million years ago in what is now the state of Minas Gerais. Its morphology differs from that of all other known lizard species.

Journal

Communications Biology

Funder

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

24-Jul-2020

 

Brazilian researchers develop an optical fiber made of gel derived from marine algae

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

Edible, biocompatible and biodegradable, these fibers have potential for various medical applications. The results are described in the journal Scientific Reports.

Journal

Scientific Reports

Funder

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

24-Jul-2020

 

Citizen science at heart of new study showing COVID-19 seismic noise reduction

Raspberry Shake
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Research published in the journal Science, using a mix of professional and Raspberry Shake citizen seismic data, finds that lockdown measures to slow the spread of the virus COVID-19 reduced seismic noise by 50% worldwide.

Journal

Science

Funder

co-financed by the German Federal Foreign OfficeBogazi&, Royal Society of BelgiumMultidisciplinary Research on the Coronavirus and its Impacts (MRCI) grant from UC Santa BarbaraInternational Training Course "Seismology and Seismic Hazard Assessment"

23-Jul-2020

 

Lightning strikes more than 100 million times per year in the tropics

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Tropical storms often begin with an impressive display of pyrotechnics, but researchers have largely overlooked the role of lightning strikes in tropical ecosystems.

Journal

Global Change Biology

Funder

National Science Foundation