News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 26-Oct-2026 16:16 ET (26-Oct-2026 20:16 GMT/UTC)

1-Jul-2019

Yellow fever virus responsible for current epidemic in Brazil originated in Amazon in 1980

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

Researchers have retraced the pathogen's route as it spread from the state of Pará by analyzing tissue samples from dead monkeys. Their findings are published in Scientific Reports.

Journal

Scientific Reports

Funder

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

28-Jun-2019

 

Amphibians infected by ranavirus found in Atlantic rain forest

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

Ranavirus is linked to amphibian decline or extinction in other parts of the world, but in Brazil, it has been reported only in captive animals.

Journal

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

Funder

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

27-Jun-2019

Experiment reverses the direction of heat flow

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

A study led by Brazilian scientists used quantum correlations to make heat flow from a colder to a hotter medium without adding external energy, affording a deeper understanding of the second law of thermodynamics.

Journal

Nature Communications

27-Jun-2019

   

Insects need empathy

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In February, environmentalists in Germany collected 1.75 million signatures for a 'save the bees law.' Citizens can stop insect declines by halting habitat loss and fragmentation, producing food without pesticides and limiting climate change, say the authors of this Perspectives piece in Science.

Journal

Science

27-Jun-2019

 

The world needs a global system to detect and halt the spread of emerging crop diseases

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

Climate change and global trade drive the spread, emergence, and re-emergence of crop disease, and containment action is often inefficient, especially in low-income countries. A Global Surveillance System (GSS) to strengthen and interconnect crop biosecurity systems could go a long way to improving global food security, argues a team of experts in the June 28, 2019 issue of Science.

Journal

Science

Funder

BBSRC, Gatsby Charitable Foundation, BASF Plant Science GmbH, GIZ, Rockefeller Foundation

26-Jun-2019

 

Genetically modified virus combats prostate cancer

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

In a study with mice, a gene therapy developed in Brazil kills cancer cells and avoids adverse side effects when combined with chemotherapy.

Journal

Gene Therapy

Funder

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

25-Jun-2019

 

Portable device can be used to diagnose eye disease remotely

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Business Announcement

An app operating the optical device sends images of the retina over the internet to Eyer Cloud, which stores and manages patient files.

Funder

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

24-Jun-2019

 

Researchers identify genes linked to sex differentiation in giant Amazon fish

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

Discoveries by Brazilian and German researchers may facilitate early sexing of pirarucu (arapaima) and its reproduction in captivity while also paving the way for genetic improvement.

Journal

Scientific Reports

Funder

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

19-Jun-2019

Climate change could affect symbiotic relationships between microorganisms and trees

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

An international research consortium mapped the global distribution of tree-root symbioses with fungi and bacteria that are vital to forest ecosystems. The study was featured on the cover of Nature.

Journal

Nature

Funder

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

18-Jun-2019

 

Scientists identify plant that flowers in Brazilian savanna one day after fire

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

Rapid resprouting and flowering of Bulbostylis paradoxa is proof of the Cerrado biome's superb resilience and its capacity to evolve through fire.

Journal

Ecology

Funder

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