News from Latin America
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 30-Oct-2025 10:11 ET (30-Oct-2025 14:11 GMT/UTC)
15-Oct-2025
The largest primate in the Americas could lose up to 61% of its climatically suitable habitat by 2090
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São PauloPeer-Reviewed Publication
Study predicts that the two species of muriquis will be restricted mainly to coastal regions of the Atlantic Forest, leaving populations in the interior seriously at risk. Predictions only consider climate change, which could mask an even greater risk when considering synergistic threats, such as forest fragmentation.
- Journal
- Journal for Nature Conservation
- Funder
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
14-Oct-2025
Compound from Antarctic microorganism can be used to produce food, cosmetics, and medicine
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São PauloPeer-Reviewed Publication
A bioactive compound produced by the microorganism Bacillus licheniformis, found on Deception Island in Antarctica, has properties that qualify it for use in producing food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and biodegradable materials. The substance is essential for the survival of microbes in extreme environments and has been shown to have antioxidant, emulsifying, and stabilizing properties.
- Journal
- Journal of Biological Macromolecules
- Funder
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
9-Oct-2025
Portable sensor detects synthetic cannabinoids in e-cigarettes and biological fluids
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São PauloPeer-Reviewed Publication
Researchers develop technology that identifies highly potent and dangerous psychoactive substances. The device can be used in emergency medical facilities and to help inform users and reduce the harm associated with consumption.
- Journal
- Talanta
- Funder
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
8-Oct-2025
Physical exercise can ‘train’ the immune system
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São PauloPeer-Reviewed Publication
In an article published in the journal Scientific Reports, an international team of researchers describes how the defense cells of older adults with a history of endurance training are more effective against inflammation. The study concluded that the bodies of older athletes are accustomed to dealing with inflammatory episodes due to decades of continuous training; as a result, they have an immune system with a more regulated and controlled profile, which under stress exhibits less intense inflammatory responses than young athletes.
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Funder
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
7-Oct-2025
Leafcutter ants have blind spots, just like truck drivers
Smithsonian Tropical Research InstitutePeer-Reviewed Publication
We have all been in that situation: the moving boxes are large and heavy, but we are determined to carry them all in one trip, even if that means we can’t see where we’re going. In the tropics, some leaf-cutter ants face a similar challenge: carrying a load that is several times their body weight. To make matters even more difficult, scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama recently discovered that carrying oversized weights may create “blind spots” when leafcutter ants transport material on a trail.
- Journal
- Insectes Sociaux
3-Oct-2025
Ethiopia: When soils become a tool against climate change
The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical AgriculturePeer-Reviewed Publication
In the upper Abbay basin, cradle of the Blue Nile, a team of researchers have predicted soils of the future: what will happen to soil organic carbon if we bet on regenerative agriculture—returning residues, organic manure, cover crops, agroforestry? Their 50-year modelling unveils a mixed picture: yes, land can regain fertility and resilience if we feed soils more; but under warming and increasingly erratic rains, these benefits weaken and vary greatly across territories.
- Journal
- Environmental and Sustainability Indicators
3-Oct-2025
Africa, climate, and food: How to feed a continent without increasing its carbon footprint
The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical AgriculturePeer-Reviewed Publication
Africa’s agrifood system emits nearly 2.9 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent every year—more than a quarter of global sector emissions. An international study compares Africa’s trajectory with China’s and proposes concrete solutions—from water management in rice paddies to modernizing logistics chains—to produce more food without worsening the climate.
- Journal
- Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering
2-Oct-2025
People with Down syndrome have early neuroinflammation
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São PauloPeer-Reviewed Publication
Researchers at the University of São Paulo identify a new factor that explains the high prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in older people with Down syndrome. The discovery paves the way for disease prevention strategies in this population.
- Journal
- Alzheimer’s & Dementia
- Funder
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
1-Oct-2025
Combination of quantum and classical computing supports early diagnosis of breast cancer
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Simple quantum-classical neural networks achieve good results in classifying lesions with fewer computational parameters. Scientists from São Paulo State University demonstrated a hybrid model at an international symposium.
- Funder
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo