Launched on April 2 at FAPESP, the program will initially involve researchers from Brazil, Argentina and France.
The number may be an underestimate in light of gaps in studies of the problem, according to the authors of a report issued by the Brazilian Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
Working in partnership with scientists at the University of Magallanes in Chile, Brazilian researchers are conducting studies of the Chilean subantarctic region.
Researchers at the Federal University of São Carlos found that glitter’s metal coating reduced the amount of light penetrating water bodies and hence impaired photosynthesis by the Large-flowered waterweed Egeria densa. The problem may impact primary producer organisms at the bottom of the food chain, they warn.
The report was written by 53 academic and government specialists, 12 young researchers, and 26 representatives of Indigenous and traditional communities. It aims to be useful to policymakers and to raise the general public’s awareness of the importance of protecting the ocean and coastline.
The event, which is supported by FAPESP, is for young researchers and environmental technicians. Thirty applicants from Brazil and 30 from other countries will be selected.
With the new contributions from abroad, the Scientific Expeditions call, issued in partnership with the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, now has a fund totaling some BRL 94 million.
André Morandini, Director of the University of São Paulo’s Center for Marine Biology, was on the team that has published a description of a rare medusa found at a depth of 812 meters. The animal has been sighted only twice in a deep-sea volcanic structure called Sumisu Caldera, in the Ogasawara Islands.
This part of the seafloor in the South Atlantic is rich in cobalt, nickel and lithium, as well as tellurium and other rare earths critical to the energy transition. The scientists plan to continue research on its natural processes as a contribution to prospecting efforts.
Some species of cetacean are up to 4 meters in length, while others reach 30 meters. According to researchers at the State University of Campinas, genes that favor the colossal growth of these mammals also inhibit the development of cancer.
The land crab Johngarthia lagostoma occurs only on four ocean islands, three of which are in Brazil, but little is known of its natural history. Brazilian researchers discovered that a hill and beach on Trindade Island play a key role in the species’ reproductive cycle and survival.
The International Panel for Ocean Sustainability (IPOS) will translate scientific information into policymaking decisions that help protect the world’s oceans.
Scientists at the State University of Campinas analyzed samples taken at 15 points in the basin comprising the Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiaí Rivers, and detected 45 contaminants, including compounds from agricultural, industrial and household effluents not yet regulated by Brazilian legislation.
A group of organizations led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography have established an online platform to raise the visibility of the ocean and highlight its importance to climate negotiations and life on the planet.
A study conducted in sustainable-use reserves shows that local game species become less abundant about 5 kilometers away from the nearest human community, but the negative effects of anthropic activity can be mitigated by appropriate management strategies.
The findings evidenced high susceptibility to climate change by 2050 in 15%-18% of the areas with the most neglected biodiversity.
Subnational funding agencies and Brazil’s National Scientific Council will partner to allocate almost BRL 60 million to research projects that explore little-known areas of the world’s largest tropical forest.
The researchers correlated data on the animal’s ecological niche and connectivity among populations with existing and planned hydropower development sites in Brazil’s South region. They estimated that 30% of its habitat could be lost, heightening the risk of extinction.
Researchers sampled oysters and mussels at three locations between the port of Santos and the nearby city of Guarujá. Their aims included assembling data as a basis for public policy on basic sanitation. The law does not currently require removal of microplastic particles from sewage.
Researchers at the University of São Paulo investigated the effects of five concentrations of glitter on two strains of cyanobacteria. Use of the material in makeup, party costumes and decorations should be reconsidered, they argue.
A study combining genetic analysis and oceanographic simulations showed that a species of mangrove rarely disperses very far, so that North and South Brazil have two distinct populations. The results can help prioritize conservation units and understand global patterns in mangrove forest formation.
Trials involving mammalian cells were conducted by researchers in São Paulo state, Brazil. Although it endangers biodiversity along much of the coast, sun coral could be an ally in combating Chagas disease, which affects 7 million people worldwide and lacks effective treatment.
Soon to be officially launched, IPOS is a coalition of 16 research institutions, research funders and universities. Its mission will be to bridge the science-policy divide and help protect the world’s ocean environment.
Carapace resembling scaled armor used by medieval knights appears to be first evidence of defense against predators and linked to origin of large group of animals with bilateral symmetry, which includes humans. Advanced techniques including electron microscopy and tomography applied to rocks found in Brazil in the 1970s enabled scientists to reconstruct this animal’s morphology.
The most comprehensive sequencing to date of the genomes of the Leatherback and Green sea turtles shows they are mostly identical. An article in PNAS helps scientists understand how the group has evolved and provides ideas for conservation strategies.
