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News from Latin America

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

Researchers obtain Bose-Einstein condensate with nickel chloride

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

At temperatures close to absolute zero and in the presence of a very intense magnetic field, nickel chloride behaves like a Bose-Einstein condensate, so that the properties of a large group of atoms can be described using a single equation, a single wave function. This discovery makes calculations possible that would otherwise be impracticable.

Journal: Physical Review B
Funder: São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

Egg-sitting glassfrogs create safe exit for tadpoles

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Glassfrogs may be somewhat see-through, but they have still managed to a hide an important secret--they are dedicated mothers and fathers that invest time in brooding their eggs. Smithsonian scientists documented previously unknown parental-care behavior using detailed observations of 40 species of glassfrogs in Central and South America. Their discovery rewrites assumptions about how caregiving evolved in this family of translucent, tree-dwelling frogs.

Journal: Journal of Evolutionary Biology
Funder: National Science Foundation, Fulbright Scholar Program, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Group investigates how phototherapy combats neuropathic pain

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

Low-level laser therapy has been shown by recent studies to be a non-invasive and effective alternative for treating neuropathic pain. Recent studies helped elucidate the mechanisms behind the effect of low-level laser therapy.

Journal: Lasers in Medical Science
Funder: São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

Predatory lizard enters Brazil clandestinely

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

Anolis porcatus, a species native to Cuba, has been identified in several areas near the Port of Santos on the São Paulo coast, in Brazil. Its introduction into this area may threaten the survival of local lizard populations. A DNA study suggests these lizards could have come from Florida, where they're also exotic, rather than directly from Cuba.

Journal: South American Journal of Herpetology
Funder: São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab, National Science Foundation

Enzyme helps bacteria defend themselves against oxidants secreted by immune system

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

Brazilian researchers identified biological substrates of bacterial enzyme Ohr, a potential target for drug development that could plays a central role in bacterial anti-oxidant defense.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

Dead zones may threaten coral reefs worldwide

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Dead zones affect dozens of coral reefs around the world and threaten hundreds more according to a new study by Smithsonian scientists published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Watching a massive coral reef die-off on the Caribbean coast of Panama, they suspected it was caused by a dead zone -- a low-oxygen area that snuffs out marine life -- rather than by ocean warming or acidification.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: Sant Chair for Marine Science, Pawel-Rammingen Foundation, Hunterdon and Johnson Oceanographic Research Endowment, German Academic Exchange Service, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Scientists analyze dispersal of parasites by birds in the Americas

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

An international study investigates transmission of microorganisms that cause malaria and other diseases from migratory to resident avian species. The pioneering study was based on an analysis of malaria parasites in blood samples taken from more than 24,000 migratory and resident birds in 23 countries throughout the Americas.

Journal: Journal of Biogeography
Funder: São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

Where the few jaguars still alive are hiding

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

Researchers track movements of largest feline in Americas across all major Brazilian biomes, using GPS tracking to survey the jaguar´s home range and movement parameters in each biome.

Journal: PLOS One
Funder: São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

Indicators show potatoes can grow on Mars

International Potato Center / Centro Internacional de la Papa
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The Phase Two effort of CIP's proof-of-concept experiment to grow potatoes in simulated Martian conditions began on Feb. 14, 2016, when a tuber was planted in a specially constructed CubeSat contained environment built by engineers from University of Engineering and Technology in Lima based upon designs and advice provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Ames Research Center, California. Preliminary results are positive.

Study shows how the predator brain organizes the hunt

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

Researchers show that the central nucleus of the amygdala is the brain region responsible for articulating the different skills involved in pursuing and killing prey. The results of this research break a paradigm in neuroscience, which is the idea that the central amygdala is the region responsible for organizing fear-related behavior.

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