News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 29-Oct-2026 12:16 ET (29-Oct-2026 16:16 GMT/UTC)

17-Jun-2021

 

First report of dorsal navigation in a flying insect

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Sweat bees navigate through dark tropical forests guided by canopy patterns.

Journal

Current Biology

16-Jun-2021

 

Immune system dysfunction can modify the association between cannabis use and psychosis

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Brazilian researchers show that a combination of inflammatory cytokines in the blood and cannabis use, daily or during adolescence, heightens the odds of developing psychiatric disorders.

Journal

Psychological Medicine

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

14-Jun-2021

 

COVID-19 creates conditions for emergence of 'superfungus' in Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The presence of Candida auris in a hospital in Salvador, Bahia, was confirmed at end-2020 and reported in an article in the Journal of Fungi. The fungus can cause a lethal invasive disease and is ringing alarm bells because of the speed with which it develops drug resistance.

Journal

Journal of Fungi

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

14-Jun-2021

 

Experiments simulate possible impact of climate change on crabs

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Fewer Atlantic mangrove fiddler crab embryos survived in a warmer, more acid environment mimicking conditions forecast for the end of this century. Given the important ecological role of this invertebrate in mangroves, the researchers warn of a potential cascade effect.

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

14-Jun-2021

 

Study effects paradigm shift in the understanding of how red rot attacks sugarcane

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the University of São Paulo discover that the fungus Fusarium verticillioides uses volatile compounds to manipulate insects and plants, promoting its own dissemination.

Journal

The ISME Journal

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab

13-Jun-2021

 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

 

13-Jun-2021

 

Mary Jane West Eberhard receives Linnean Medal for Zoology

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Grant and Award Announcement

One of only seven women to win the Linnean Medal for Zoology since its inception in 1888, Mary Jane West Eberhard, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute emerita, significantly advanced evolutionary theory by unifying developmental plasticity and genetics.

10-Jun-2021

 

As a decade of ecosystem restoration kicks off, don't forget the people

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Global ecosystem restoration efforts are often measured by billions of trees planted or square kilometers of land restored. But there is a critical void in the agenda: the social and political dimensions that make restoration a success.

Journal

Ecological Restoration

9-Jun-2021

 

Panama expands the limits of the Coiba protected area

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Business Announcement

The new limits for the Cordillera de Coiba protected area were determined by a consulting team led by Hector Guzman, a marine biologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. With this action, Panama reaches the goal of the 30x30 Initiative nine years ahead of schedule, charting the course for other countries to follow.

Funder

Mission Blue Foundation, Wyss Foundation, WildAid, Skylight, MigraMar., Blue Nature Alliance

8-Jun-2021

 

Most cities in São Paulo state have low potential capacity to adapt to climate change

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Cities located in metropolitan areas of this Brazilian state score better according to an index that measures the existence of public policies designed to adjust critical sectors to the impacts of climate change.

Journal

Climatic Change

Funder

São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Brazil). Geochronologic research at the MIT Isotope Lab