Satellite data used by archaeologists to find traces of ancient ruins hidden under dense forest canopies can also be used to improve the speed and accuracy to measure how much carbon is retained and released in forests. Understanding this carbon cycle is key to climate change research.

At VivaTech in Paris, research center coordinators showcase the advances made at the University of São Paulo in agriculture, climate, energy, computing, artificial intelligence, and health.

A collaborative team led by Ravi Radhakrishnan of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and Jake Brenner and Jacob Myerson of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has unraveled the mathematics of a 500-million-year-old protein network that acts like the body’s bouncer, “deciding” which foreign materials get degraded by immune cells and which are allowed entry. “This discovery enables us to design therapeutics the way you’d design a car or a spaceship—using the principles of physics to guide how the immune system will respond—rather than relying on trial and error,” says Brenner.

A new cooling technology could significantly improve the energy efficiency of data centers and high-powered electronics while reducing water use associated with cooling. By passively removing heat through evaporation, it offers a promising alternative to traditional cooling systems.

University of São Paulo researchers are developing an aircraft equipped with sensors that can detect and measure the concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane in the environment; the project was presented at FAPESP Week France in Toulouse.