News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 29-Oct-2026 21:16 ET (30-Oct-2026 01:16 GMT/UTC)

16-Dec-2020

 

A no-meat diet everywhere will not solve the climate crisis

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

Scientists argue Authors further argue that a singular focus on negative livestock-related environmental impacts ignores the critical but more positive role livestock play in ecosystem services, income and asset provision or insurance in low- and middle-income countries. It also overlooks more systemic questions about how animals are raised.

Journal

Environmental Research Letters

Funder

CGIAR Research Program on Livestock

16-Dec-2020

 

Molecules derived from omega-3 can regenerate inflamed periodontal tissue

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

An in vitro study by a Brazilian researcher shows that maresin and resolvin synthesized from fatty acid stimulate periodontal ligament stem cells even in the presence of inflammation

Journal

Frontiers in Immunology

Funder

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

16-Dec-2020

 

How much greenhouse gas emission comes from tropical deforestation and peatland loss?

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

New research papers provide better data for tropical countries on how land conversion -- in this case, the removal of tropical forests and peatland for agriculture -- leads to increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Journal

Ecosphere

15-Dec-2020

   

Male bats with high testosterone levels have large forearm crusts when females are fertile

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Mammalian odors are frequently sexually dimorphic, with males often exhibiting a stronger, or otherwise distinct, odor relative to females, which can be especially useful for nocturnal species with reduced use of vision. Some male bats exhibit intense odors to attract females and reproduce, presumably as a consequence of a high concentration of testosterone.

Journal

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

15-Dec-2020

Drug for pulmonary hypertension may become an option against cancer

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

In experiments by Brazilian researchers with mice and tumor cell lines, the drug showed potential to combat metastasis. The scientists are planning to conduct clinical trials with patients who are on chemotherapy.

Journal

Scientific Reports

Funder

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

14-Dec-2020

 

America's crop cousins are numerous, imperiled, and more needed than ever

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

A new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences for the first time outlines how poorly protected these plants are: More than half of the 600 plants assessed in the study may be endangered in their natural habitats, while only 7% are well represented in conservation repositories such as public gene banks and botanical gardens.

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Funder

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture

14-Dec-2020

 

Industrial waste is reused to produce alternatives to plastic

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

Researchers at São Paulo State University reused bacterial cellulose scraps usually thrown away by manufacturers of wound dressings to make strong biodegradable film for food packaging

Journal

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

Funder

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

14-Dec-2020

 

Virtual reality applied to rehabilitation for stroke and neurodegenerative disease patients

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

A study performed at one of the Research Centers supported by FAPESP resulted in development of a novel rehabilitation device. The article was recognized as outstanding by the 20th International Conference on Computational Science and its Applications

Funder

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

Meeting

20th International Conference on Computational Science and its Applications

11-Dec-2020

 

High-tech fixes for the food system could have unintended consequences

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

In a new analysis published in The Lancet Planetary Health, a team of scientists examines how technologies to fix the food system can have unanticipated impacts on global development goals.

Journal

The Lancet Planetary Health

9-Dec-2020

 

'Rambo root' could help with climate action, peace building and environmental issues

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

Planting cassava can help countries tackle key environmental and sustainable development concerns. The low-cost root crop, nicknamed 'Rambo root' for its rugged appearance and resilient attributes, produces the highest amount of calories per hectare in most tropical countries, can withstand increasing temperatures and thrives in poor soils.

Journal

Conservation Science and Practice

Funder

Nature Conservation and NuclearSafety - International Climate Initiative (IKI), International Climate Initiative, Federal Ministry for the Environment, 18_III_106_COL_A_Sustainable productive strategies