News from Latin America

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

17-Jun-2019

 

3D reconstruction of craniums elucidates the evolution of New World monkeys

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

Computed tomography scans of fossils from two extinct species point to evolutionary adaptations and kinship with extant howler, spider and woolly monkeys.

Journal

American Journal of Physical Anthropology

Funder

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

14-Jun-2019

   

Flickering sky islands generate Andean biodiversity

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As the climate changed over the past million years, areas of paramo around Andean peaks in Colombia grew and contracted, giving rise to species unique to this habitat. Today paramos continue to shrink, putting these species at risk.

Journal

Journal of Biogeography

Funder

Panama's Sistema Nacional de Investigadores de SENACYT, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, Hugo de Vries Foundation, German Centre for integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig funded by the German Research Foundation

14-Jun-2019

Modified enzyme can increase second-generation ethanol production

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

Using a protein produced by a fungus that lives in the Amazon, Brazilian researchers developed a molecule capable of increasing glucose release from biomass for fermentation.

Journal

Scientific Reports

Funder

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

13-Jun-2019

 

Study shows that strength and weight training can control diabetes in obese individuals

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

In experiments with mice, Brazilian scientists demonstrated that a moderate training protocol reduced liver fat and made the organ more sensitive to insulin, even before loss of body weight occurred.

Journal

Journal of Endocrinology

Funder

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

13-Jun-2019

 

World Cultural Council has announced the winners of the 2019 Albert Einstein World Award of Science

Consejo Cultural Mundial
Grant and Award Announcement

The winner of the 2019 Albert Einstein World Award of Science is Dr. Zhong Lin Wang, Chair and Regents Professor, School of Materials Science & Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, USA. The 2019 Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts will be presented to Portuguese independent film producer, Paulo Branco.

12-Jun-2019

Sickle cell disease needs more attention

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

Article signed by researchers affiliated with institutions in the US, UK, Ghana and Brazil highlights recent progress in diagnosis and treatment but warns that more screening of newborns is needed.

Journal

Nature Reviews Disease Primers

Funder

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

11-Jun-2019

 

Tube anemone has the largest animal mitochondrial genome ever sequenced

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

Discovery by Brazilian and US researchers could change the classification of two species, which appear more akin to jellyfish than was thought.

Journal

Scientific Reports

Funder

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

6-Jun-2019

 

Heart rate variation due to stress affects auditory attention

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

Study shows that brain activity related to auditory perception parallels heart rate, offering new perspectives for the treatment of attention and communication disorders.

Journal

Scientific Reports

Funder

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

5-Jun-2019

 

Freshwater stingray venom varies according to sex and age

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

A study by the FAPESP-funded Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center shows that toxins produced by young female stingrays cause more pain, whereas toxins produced by adult stingrays cause tissue necrosis.

Journal

Toxicon

Funder

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

4-Jun-2019

 

Limiting warming to 2 degrees C will require emission cuts across entire food system

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

Better understanding agriculture and the food system's unique place in climate change -- as both drivers of climate change and victims of it -- is helping to increase support for climate action. Unfortunately, progress across the food system is lagging, according to a new analysis.

Journal

Sustainability

Funder

Agriculture and Food Security, CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, and others