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News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 2-Jan-2026 23:11 ET (3-Jan-2026 04:11 GMT/UTC)

Discovery of a new calcifying phytoplankton species off Bermuda

Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A newly described coccolithophore species, Calciopappus curvus was recently found in 2020 in the Sargasso Sea near Bermuda by scientists affiliated with the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences. This newly named species has also been observed prior to its discovery off Bermuda in water samples from far-flung locations as the North Atlantic to tropical and subtropical regions of the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Ocean. Formally named Calciopappus curvus, is described in a new paper published in the October edition of the journal Protist.

Journal: Protist

A turtle time capsule: DNA found in ancient shell

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Paleontologists discover possible DNA remains in fossil turtle that lived 6 million years ago in Panama, where continents collide

Journal: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
Funder: Universidad del Rosario, National Secretary of Science and Technology of Panama

Risk of eating disorders among vegan diet followers is low, study suggests

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

The prevalence of dysfunctional eating behaviors among almost 1,000 vegans studied by researchers at the University of São Paulo was less than a tenth of the average for the Brazilian population. The explanation, according to the researchers, lies in the reasons for which people choose a restrictive diet.

Journal: JAMA Network Open
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Researchers create formula for first synthetic sugarcane molasses with fully reproducible composition

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

The product will pave the way for researchers and food engineers to develop novel industrial processes based on the use of sugarcane molasses. It was tested as a yeast culture medium for ethanol production.

Journal: Scientific Reports
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Understanding of mechanisms behind post-exercise lack of appetite can open new paths to obesity treatment

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

Hormones and metabolites secreted after physical activity act together to suppress hunger, as highlighted by an editorial in The Journal of Physiology written by researchers at the State University of Campinas and the University of Copenhagen.

Journal: The Journal of Physiology
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Transforming the cacao sector: introducing the guide for the assessment of cacao quality and flavor

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture
Business Announcement

The new Guide for the Assessment of Cacao Quality and Flavour, published by Cacao of Excellence, aims to address the absence of commonly agreed standardized protocols for evaluating cacao quality and flavor, as well as the lack of a common language to describe the sensory experience of cacao.

Brazilian researchers develop method of purifying water contaminated by glyphosate

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

Researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil have developed a strategy for removing glyphosate, one of the world’s most frequently used herbicides, from water. Inspired by the concept of the circular economy, the technique is based on sugarcane bagasse, a waste material produced by sugar and ethanol plants.

Journal: Pure and Applied Chemistry
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Climate change may affect 40% of biodiversity in semi-arid portion of Brazil’s Northeast by 2060

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

The main impacts for the Caatinga, as the semi-arid biome is known, will be replacement of trees by shrubs and grasses, and a decrease in the overall number of species. The projections are based on the IPCC’s latest report and a database created by Brazilian researchers.

Journal: Journal of Ecology
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Researchers develop biodegradable optical fiber to measure or modulate electrical current in the body

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

Made from agar, a substance extracted from red algae, the optical fiber can be used to monitor stimuli produced in the brain or muscles, or as an ancillary interface in human-computer connections for assistive or rehabilitation technologies.

Journal: Scientific Reports
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Cell therapy can reduce risk of death from COVID-19 by 60%, study shows

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

Brazilian researchers and collaborators in Germany and the US compiled data from 195 clinical trials conducted in 30 countries between January 2020 and December 2021. The findings are promising, although the authors stress the need for enhanced controls in the making of the products used in cell therapy.

Journal: Frontiers in Immunology
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

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