Rice is the world's second most consumed staple, trailing only wheat. It is prominent in daily diets in Ecuador, averaging 43 kg per capita between 2014 and 2019. In Latin America, most consumers expect firm, granular grains that cook well. Grain quality encompasses these traits, which are indispensable for marketing rice.

A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice.

Described in the journal Scientific Reports, the research was conducted at SPARCBio, a center established by FAPESP and biological control company Koppert at the University of São Paulo’s Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture.

The device was developed by researchers at the University of São Paulo’s Heart Institute (INCOR) and a Brazilian company with FAPESP’s support. It is biocompatible and offers other advantages over the imported product used hitherto. 

Bacteria, fungi and archaea living in the soil provide several ecosystem services, including carbon storage, and help restore native characteristics. The result contributes to advances in sustainable agriculture, one of the key points for this year’s G20 meetings.

The IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital and the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University announced the launch of a long-term partnership with the recently established Nicolelis Institute for Advanced Brain Studies of the Brazilian Alberto Santos Dumont Association for Research Support (AASDAP, www.aasdap.org.br) aimed at creating a state-of-the-art Neurotech Hub on their campus in the city of Milan. Resulting from a two-year planning process, that included the development of a comprehensive Master Plan, the San Raffaele Neurotech Hub will be the first initiative of this kind in Europe focused on deploying large-scale modern neurotechnologies and neurorehabilitation protocols, based on the employment of a novel and generic non-invasive brain-machine interface (nBMI) approach (Figure 1). This nBMI will serve as the foundation of multiple neurorehabilitation protocols and therapies targeting patients suffering from a variety of neurological disorders, such as spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and chronic epilepsy.  

An electrode with films of iridium dioxide and niobium oxide on a titanium substrate removed molecules of the drug levofloxacin, considered an emerging pollutant. The study obtained excellent results in terms of degrading the drug in simulated and real water samples.

For three months, Brazilian researchers tracked 74 patients submitted to 12 sessions lasting 15 minutes each and observed remission of symptoms. The ancient Chinese practice had no side effects, according to an article on the study published in JAMA Network Open.