Simulations run by Brazilian scientists on a supercomputer at the National Space Research Institute (INPE) show that the direct impact of rising levels of carbon dioxide over the Amazon rainforest would be a reduction in rainfall equivalent to or even greater than the impact of complete substitution of the forest by pasture. The result calls attention to the need for regional and global action to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.

Smithsonian marine biologists and colleagues at Temple University tested predictions about biological invasions, first in Panama and then in an experiment of unprecedented geographic scale. Their results are published in companion papers in the journal Ecology.

The central idea of the study was an analogy between concepts in magnetism and epidemiology in which electron interaction is compared with interaction among people.

The Alliance-managed website MusaNet collects and shares global resources on banana (Musa) across the whole value chain -- from collecting germplasm to post-harvest qualities.

Adult corals that survive high-intensity environmental stresses, such as bleaching events, can produce offspring that are better suited to survive in new environments. Results from a series of experiments are deepening scientists' understanding of how the gradual increase of sea surface temperatures and other environmental disturbances may influence future coral generations. This study's experimental design provides a unique perspective on how multiple types of thermal events accumulate over time and have lasting consequences across generations.

The phenomenon is linked to gradual contraction of the tropical rain belt over the last 5,000 years, according to a study conducted at the University of São Paulo. Its findings can help predict the region's future climate.

Contradicting theories of primatologists, a study led by Brazilian scientists shows that in a habitat with high hunting pressure, the risk of predation influences the habits of these monkeys more than the availability of food. They spend less time in areas they perceive as 'more dangerous' even if plant biomass and invertebrates are more abundant there.

A multidisciplinary analysis by a group of Brazilian scientists, published on-line in the journal Scientific Reports on June 21, 2021, revealed that three major factors accounted for the geographic spread of SARS-COV-2 across Brazil, as well as the massive flow of people in search of hospital care throughout the country, during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020.

The Scientists Advocate Shifting the Current Value System, which is Biased Against Women and Minorities, Towards a More Diverse and Inclusive Model of Science