Protecting and restoring natural ecosystems in Latin America and the Caribbean not only helps communities adapt to climate change but also benefits biodiversity and enhance food and water security, according to the participants in a webinar hosted by FAPESP.
Conducted by an international group that included Brazilian scientists, the project created charts that show how the brain grows rapidly in early life and shrinks as we age. The researchers hope the charts will one day be used in clinical practice.
An article published in Nature by a consortium of researchers from 45 countries, including Brazil, reports on a study that analyzed data for 300,000 people and could pave the way for the development of novel therapies.
Large mammals and birds that can swallow fruit of different sizes are crucial to assure rich animal-plant interactions, thanks to which forests thrive, according to a study conducted at São Paulo State University.
Findings published by researchers at the University of São Paulo may point to novel therapeutic targets for aging-related disorders such as neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases.
Experiments conducted in Brazil suggest that molecules secreted by the bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila, more abundant in Parkinson’s, promote aggregation of the protein alpha-synuclein in intestinal cells. Clumps of the protein, which are known to be associated with development of the disease, may migrate from the gut to the brain.
The startup supported by FAPESP produces all of the inputs for the test and will supply them to partner companies that will assemble kits and distribute them to retailers.
The warning comes from a letter by Brazilian researchers published in the journal Science, highlighting the “dramatic increase” in deforestation in areas of the Amazon that should act as shields against such destruction.
The material is not an active ingredient but an adjuvant, and was successfully tested on an influenza virus in research conducted by an international team of scientists with Brazilian participation and reported in an article in Nature.
In an article published in the journal PLOS ONE, Brazilian scientists show that the number of domestic dogs in an area influences the risk of transmission of the disease and that areas in which cases occur remain high-risk areas.
Introducing more modern agricultural practices in Brazil could save farmers more than USD 20 billion in coming decades via a reduction in the use of phosphate fertilizer alone, a study by the University of São Paulo shows.
By combining acoustic levitation and X-ray diffraction with synchrotron light, the researchers were able to analyze the interactions of a drug’s atoms in real time and improve its formulation.
The finding by Brazilian researchers was based on data for 3,587 adolescents who took part in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Another finding of concern is a 63% higher risk of visceral obesity, which correlates closely with metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.
Results published in Scientific Reports by a research group at the Federal University of São Paulo help scientists understand why patients with metabolic syndrome are among those worst affected by COVID-19.
These ants emerged some 8.5 million years ago and underwent an intense speciation process between 1 million and 3 million years ago, when the Brazilian savanna was expanding. The recent advance of agriculture in the region, however, appears to be reducing this biodiversity and selecting species that damage crops.
Known as pineapple sett rot, the disease reduces cane budding by up to 50%. Results obtained by scientists in Brazil will bolster the search for biological fungicides that offer an alternative to agrochemicals.
The importance of innovation was stressed by participants in the ninth FAPESP 60 Years Conference, who also highlighted the fall in public-sector investment in R&D in recent years.
This was the main finding of a study by scientists affiliated with a FAPESP-supported research center. The effect may be associated with a mechanism whereby the fruit increases expression of an insulin-related microRNA.
In an editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Bruno Gualano, a professor at the University of São Paulo (Brazil), reviews what scientists know about the relationship between regular exercise and the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2.
The point was stressed by Jean Ometto, a senior researcher at Brazil’s National Space Research Institute (INPE) and a Lead Author of the latest installment of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report, during a webinar held by FAPESP. Four other Brazilian researchers who contributed to the document also took part in the event.
Researchers at the University of São Paulo have developed a portable device made from graphite, silver particles and polyurethane that detects BPA, a chemical compound harmful to health and considered an indicator of the presence of emerging pollutants in river or tap water.
Brazilian researchers analyzed the mechanisms by which estuarine plants absorb iron at the mouth of the Doce River, which was polluted by massive amounts of tailings from the 2015 Fundão dam disaster.
A study shows how extracellular vesicles share information among cells in the same species, enabling the colony to respond in a coordinated manner to the host organism’s defenses.
Pythiosis affects humans, horses and other animals, often requiring surgery and even amputation. A study conducted at São Paulo State University has discovered seven potential antigens that can serve as a basis for tests and vaccines.
A study by researchers at the University of São Paulo advocates closer monitoring of these patients and prescribing more powerful drugs to combat atherosclerosis.
