Scientists at the Federal University of São Carlos adapted material derived from sugarcane bagasse and papermaking to replace the synthetic polymers available on the market and used by growers. The main aim was to avoid the discharge of non-biodegradable chemicals into the soil.
For the next five years, Euclides de Mesquita Neto will be responsible for coordinating the activities of the GRC, which connects more than 60 research funding agencies on all continents.
Focusing on astronomy and astrophysics, the 14th FAPESP 60 Years Conference featured three leading scientists in the field, including Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt.
Analysis of skin tumor samples showed correlations between changes in proteins that regulate the organism and prognosis. The results, published in Nature Communications, were obtained by researchers in Brazil and France.
FAPESP has long supported the company that developed the system, which identifies people from small fragments of finger and palm prints. It passed a key certification test set by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The results of animal trials were published recently in Nature Communications. The researchers have received the green light from the national health surveillance authority to proceed with testing on humans.
Brazilian researchers have developed a tool that encodes patient identification data as DNA sequences and integrates databases with millions of records despite misspellings and omissions. The platform is fast and accurate and can be used for epidemiological analysis and public policy formulation.
An article in Disaster Prevention and Management describes the course of discussions involving Brazil and the UK on how to improve flood risk governance. The project has produced an application and learning guide resulting from community participation.
Brazilian researchers and collaborators found that Beauveria caledonica can be used for biological control of banana borers and Fusarium wilt, which are serious threats to a tropical and subtropical crop of the highest economic importance. The soil fungus supplements traditional banana plantation management strategies.
Researchers at the University of São Paulo analyzed air samples collected near the hospital complex run by its medical school and found that the more plastic they contained, the higher the viral load. The results of the study suggest SARS-CoV-2 binds to microplastic and more easily enters the upper airways and lungs.
However, scientific research is essential to take innovation to the countryside and raise yields without increasing deforestation, according to the experts who participated in an online seminar organized by FAPESP and the São Paulo State Academy of Sciences.
According to the article, Brazil has had more success than any other country with the use of biofertilizer to provide nitrogen for soybeans. The inoculation of microorganisms into the soil boosts yields, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and saves some USD 10 billion per year in imports of synthetic fertilizer.
A study conducted at the State University of Campinas provides a foundation for future research to confirm identification of the best candidate genes for biotech applications such as insertion into commercially valuable plants and development of sugarcane varieties resistant to environmental pressures.
Research conducted in São Paulo, the largest city in the southern hemisphere, also found sidewalk width and tree height to be key factors. The results will be used in tree management and urban planning.
Research by groups at the University of São Paulo and the State University of Campinas combined MRI scans of the brains of mild COVID-19 patients, analysis of brain tissue from people who died of the disease and experiments on human nerve cells infected in the laboratory.
A study published in the journal Vaccines used samples from blood banks in seven Brazilian state capitals to measure levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and the extent to which vaccines afford protection against the delta variant.
In a special issue of the journal Science, some of the leading experts on the subject argue that rehabilitating degraded areas requires more complex solutions that take the biome’s specificities into account.
Eduardo Góes Neves, an archeologist at the University of São Paulo, sets out this and other findings of 15 years of research in a book for non-specialists.
Twenty-one patients with metabolic syndrome were given a calorie or protein restriction diet in a randomized clinical trial by Brazilian and Danish researchers. Weight loss, controlled blood pressure and improved blood sugar and lipid levels were observed in all participants.
A study by Brazilian researchers analyzed risk factors and found that reducing smoking prevented most deaths from cardiovascular disease, while high blood sugar had the most significant impact on mortality.
Proteomic analysis suggests zika virus causes alterations in the expression of proteins linked to the metabolism of developing neural cells, and proteins associated with the maturation of oligodendrocytes.
Researchers at the University of São Paulo and collaborators showed that the aquatic plant can scavenge up to 34 times more manganese from contaminated soil than other plants found in similar environments.
Researchers at the State University of Campinas have edited the genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the brewer’s yeast used to produce ethanol, so that it converts xylose into xylitol. The strategy can add value to the ethanol industry and meet demand for a healthier sweetener.
The study involved the use of biosensors, algorithms and open-source software to build a miniature microscope. The findings contribute to a better understanding of how our brains track and retain information about routes and learn new locations.
Conservation of CO2 stocks in the biome is highly affected by forest degradation, which could lead to at least 30% higher emissions than those produced by climate change. The warning comes from a paper by Brazilian scientists published in Science Advances.
