In studying the West Nile virus, which caused outbreaks in North America this century, scientists from Brazil and Senegal identified the gene responsible for the diminished virulence of the lineage known for causing mild effects.

A study by Brazilian researcher helps scientists understand and control physical processes that are essential to the success of ITER, a fusion reactor designed to reproduce on a small scale the process that generates energy in the sun. A future fusion reactor would feature advantages when compared to nuclear fission technology: in addition to the absence of radioactive waste, its system works by a self-control physical process that prevents overheating problems.

Technology developed by a Brazilian startup consists of a porous silica magnetic microparticle which has affinity with different molecules, a feature that enables its application on various industries; this solution aims at simplifying established industrial processes, thus reducing costs.

Research shows that expression of 52 microRNAs falls as the disease becomes more aggressive. Restoring levels of these molecules in the tumor could be a novel therapeutic strategy.

Scientists from Brazil, China and Italy have reached a model to map out the phases in which silica (SiO2) transforms into coesite rock, by analyzing how the inelastic scattering of light among molecules changes according to pressure variation. Computer simulation was required in the study of coesite, found on a crater produced by a comet or asteroid that hit Mexico and led to extinction of the dinosaurs.

Material developed in Brazil measures temperatures in the range of 80-750 kelvin (-193 °C to 476 °C) and, as described in Scientific Reports, could be used in manufacturing and biological processes. Besides being an optical device, which makes unnecessary to have contact with the object, the sensor is equipped with a detector that can gauge how temperature affects the wavelength of light.

Markers of infection found in blood of patients enabled Brazilian researchers to elucidate cellular signaling pathway involved in both defenses against this virus and formation of new neurons. Also found in these samples were much larger doses of peptides known for controlling blood pressure, which may be involved in the autophagy of infected cells.

Technology fully designed in Brazil connects non-automated machines to the internet, enabling an online performance monitoring by storing and controlling sensor data which is then transmitted to the web. The startup DEV Tecnologia strives for a business model based no longer on selling machines but on selling product-service systems (PSS).

Brazilian researchers combine mass spectrometry, 2D liquid chromatography and ion mobility to identify over 10,000 proteins in brain cells possibly involved in schizophrenia. The innovation even enabled the identification, in samples, of proteins some 10 million times smaller in quantity than those of the most highly expressed molecules.