News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 29-Oct-2026 23:17 ET (30-Oct-2026 03:17 GMT/UTC)

3-Feb-2016

 

Cause for hope: Secondary tropical forests put on weight fast

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Half of the world's tropical forests are secondary forests, forests that are growing back after being cut or logged. Authors compared the growth of secondary forests across Latin America, finding that most, but not all grow back very quickly. As they put on weight, they pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

Journal

Nature

Funder

CIFOR, CONACYT, and others, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, CGIAR-FTA, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade-DFAT

28-Jan-2016

New molecular profiling for glioma

University of Sao Paulo Scientific Outreach Unit
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Cell publishes on its Jan. 28th edition the results of the largest study ever performed on the molecular profiles of gliomas -- that represent 80 percent of tumors of the central nervous system.

Journal

Cell

Funder

Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas, São Paulo Research Foundation, National Institutes of Health

28-Jan-2016

International study describes new glioma subtypes

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

In an international study conducted in Brazil, researchers have identified new glioma subtypes on the basis of epigenetic profile. The new findings serve to stratify glioma patients more accurately and will contribute to an enhancement of treatment protocols.

Journal

Cell

Funder

São Paulo Research Foundation

26-Jan-2016

CIP signs a memorandum of understanding with Georgia

International Potato Center / Centro Internacional de la Papa
Business Announcement

In partnership with the Government of Georgia and its Ministry of Agriculture, the International Potato Center (CIP) has embarked upon an ambitious project to support expansion and diversification of the country's potato crop, as well as that of the Central Asia and Caucuses region.

21-Jan-2016

 

Smithsonian botanist discovers new ground-flowering plant in Panama

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A young botanist and seasoned plant expert named a new plant species for a Smithsonian herbarium assistant.

Journal

Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas

19-Jan-2016

 

Photos show elusive bush dog to be widespread in Panama

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New camera trap photos capture the elusive bush dog in Panama on its way North as it expands out of South America.

7-Jan-2016

 

Trees employ similar strategies to outcompete their neighbors

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Trees worldwide compete in some of the same ways, making simpler models of forest response to climate change possible.

Journal

Nature

7-Jan-2016

 

How to pack tropical trees

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

How many cookies fit on a baking sheet? How many oranges fit in a bag? To calculate how much carbon a tropical forest can store, scientists working with data from the Smithsonian's ForestGEO network came up with biologically sound explanations behind simple mathematical rules of thumb used to determine how many trees fit in a tropical forest, essential information for calculating the ability of forests to store carbon.

Journal

Science

6-Jan-2016

 

Were Panamanian islanders dolphin hunters?

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Dolphins played an important part in the diet of inhabitants of Panama's Pedro Gonzalez Island 6000 years ago. Did they hunt dolphins from dugout canoes or use another technique to capture them?

Journal

Journal of Archaeological Science

23-Dec-2015

 

The power of touch

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Many animals change sex at some point in their lives, often after reaching a certain size. Snails called slipper limpets begin life as males, and become female as they grow. A new Smithsonian study shows that when two males are kept together and can touch one another, the larger one changes to female sooner, and the smaller one later. Contact, rather than chemicals released into the water, is necessary for the effect.

Journal

Biological Bulletin