News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 27-Oct-2026 10:17 ET (27-Oct-2026 14:17 GMT/UTC)

25-Oct-2018

 

New Bat Behavior Discovered

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Reports and Proceedings

25-Oct-2018

 

Researchers observe novel bat behavior in Panama

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

According to a new report from researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) who studied Peters' tent-making bats (Uroderma bilobatum), mothers prod their young with their forearms, perhaps encouraging them to fledge and wean.

Journal

PLOS One

Funder

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Clemson University, Fulbright Scholar Program, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

24-Oct-2018

Chemotherapy drug paclitaxel also acts as an immune response modulator

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

By finding that the cancer drug also activates a key cellular receptor in the innate immune system, a study at the Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases (CRID), in Brazil, may lead to new treatment strategies.

Journal

Cancer Research

Funder

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

18-Oct-2018

 

Colored filter improves dyslexic children's reading speed

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

Volunteers aged 9-10 with dyslexia took less time to read passages from children's books, possibly thanks to attenuated excitability of the cerebral cortex.

Journal

Research in Developmental Disabilities

Funder

Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP

15-Oct-2018

 

Food transports Syrian refugees' imaginations to a place that no longer exists

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

A study conducted at the University of São Paulo in Brazil used cuisine as a starting point for an analysis of the difficulties faced by Syrian refugees in the city.

Journal

Appetite

Funder

São Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP

27-Sep-2018

Physical exercise improves the elimination of toxic proteins from muscles

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

A study by Brazilian researchers could contribute to the development of alternatives to treat muscle weakness and atrophy. An article in Scientific Reports describes how rats subjected to an aerobic exercise routine preserved their muscle's contractility properties and their autophagic system's memory even after having a sciatic nerve injury induced.

Journal

Scientific Reports

Funder

Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP

24-Sep-2018

 

Violence in pre-Columbian Panama exaggerated, new study shows

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An oft-cited publication said a pre-Colombian archaeological site in Panama showed signs of extreme violence. A new review of the evidence strongly suggests that the interpretation was wrong.

Journal

Latin American Antiquity

24-Sep-2018

Four extremely young asteroid families identified

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

Brazilian researchers dated the families using a numerical simulation method to process current data to go back in time to the asteroid formation era.

Journal

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Funder

Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP

20-Sep-2018

Study reveals a promising alternative to corticosteroids in acute renal failure treatment

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

In search of an option for the drug known for causing several side effects, scientists describe the anti-inflammatory properties of protein galectin-1 in tests with rats involving ischemia-reperfusion scenarios.

Journal

Scientific Reports

Funder

Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP

18-Sep-2018

 

Study on jararaca pit vipers links 'giant' specimens proliferation to predators

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

In São Paulo, Brazil, it is the lesser presence of predators, not large food supply, that can explain why an isolated green area concentrates more giant pit vipers than a wide forest reserve.

Journal

Journal of Herpetology

Funder

Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP