It is consensus that mothers' diet has critical effects on fetal development, and the absence of nutrients is related to impairments on brain formation. In order to characterize the nutrients during human brain development, Brazilian scientists investigated human minibrains using synchrotron radiation, a sort of X-ray. Results showed that concentration and distribution of chemical elements are related to the stage of development and similar to previous data obtained from postmortem brain samples.

Brazilian researchers have identified a species of thecamoeba with a carapace that resembles the wizard's hat worn by Gandalf, one of the most important characters in The Lord of the Rings, a series of novels by J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973). The new species are named Arcella gandalfi as a tribute to Tolkien's wizard.

Published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, a study shows that the number of vampire bats, which transmit rabies and are a concern for livestock breeders, may be increasing in Brazil and the Americas along with growth in the populations of invasive feral pigs and wild boars (Sus scrofa).

The cane toad, which overran Australia when introduced there, and Panama's iconic, endangered golden frog both belong to the family Bufonidae. Researchers combed through many research papers to compile all of the known chemicals produced by members of this amphibian family well known to practitioners of folk medicine. This is a first step toward the identification of new pharmaceuticals from amphibians at a time when human diseases are becoming alarmingly antibiotic resistant.

Zika virus (ZIKV) interferes with the cellular machinery controlling cell division and alters the expression of hundreds of genes responsible for guiding the formation and development of brain cells, according to findings released on Jan. 23 by Scientific Reports.

A new study by Smithsonian scientists and colleagues that reveals 3,000 years of change in reefs in the western Caribbean provides long-term, compelling evidence that parrotfish, which eat algae that can smother corals, are vital to coral-reef growth and health.