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News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 1-May-2025 06:08 ET (1-May-2025 10:08 GMT/UTC)

Leafcutter ants recognize and fight pathogen even 30 days after initial contamination, study shows

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

Characteristics of social immune memory were observed in colonies of Atta sexdens exposed to four different pathogenic fungi. The insects increased their cleaning behavior one week and one month after initial contact, but not after 60 days.

Journal: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B Biological Sciences
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Study shows that cannabidiol may be a promising agent for promoting dental biomineralization

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

In the experiment, cells from the dental pulp of mice were exposed to a cytokine called tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), which is involved in various inflammatory and autoimmune processes. They were then treated with different concentrations of cannabidiol for periods ranging from 24 hours to seven days.

Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Study identifies key protein in progression of glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor

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

In experiments conducted at the University of São Paulo, tumor stem cells became less able to proliferate and invade tissues when the production of the prion protein was blocked by gene editing; the results suggest that the molecule could be a therapeutic.

Journal: BMC Cancer
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Latin American intensivists denounce economic and cultural inequities in the global scientific publishing system

D'Or Institute for Research and Education
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from Brazilian, Argentine, and Uruguayan institutions analyze the barriers that low- and middle-income countries face in disseminating research on intensive care medicine, particularly in the treatment of critically ill patients. Published this month in The Lancet, the study highlights how historical and economic biases perpetuate inequalities and suggests changes to make the scientific publishing system more inclusive and representative of the global community.

Journal: The Lancet

The superpower of beans: Resilient, nutritious, and ready for climate change

Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral

A study conducted by researchers at ESPOL has developed genetically improved bean varieties that are capable of withstanding water scarcity conditions. This discovery is crucial for developing more efficient agricultural strategies. Growing drought-resistant bean varieties will not only ensure stable production but also reduce dependence on excessive irrigation. This promotes more sustainable agriculture.

Journal: Environmental and Experimental Botany
Funder: Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral & Universidad de Milagro

Brazilian technology measures intracranial pressure more accurately and non-invasively

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

Innovation created by healthtech supported by FAPESP showed the lowest estimation error among all non-invasive methods already available in the world.The tecnnology consists of a sensor placed on the patient’s head that registers the nanometric expansions of the skull in each cardiac cycle and generates, in real time, a wave that indicates the variations in volume and intracranial pressure.

Journal: npj Digital Medicine
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

First coronavirus similar to MERS is found in bats in South America

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

Detected in the state of Ceará, Brazil, the novel coronavirus has similarities with the coronavirus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome, first identified in 2012. Experiments to find out whether it can infect humans are set to take place during 2

Journal: Journal of Medical Virology
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

For Nairobi’s informal settlements, diverse school lunches make a big difference

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

Coinciding with International School Meals Day (13 March), a new case study from one of Nairobi’s largest informal settlements shows that introducing biodiversity - including often overlooked indigenous foods - into school lunches can offer benefits both for nutrition and cost-saving.

Journal: Sustainability

Study points the way to developing the Amazon bioeconomy

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

Experimentalist governance, which learns from practice itself, and valuing local communities and traditional knowledge are the strengths of the project, which reconciles environmental conservation with job creation and income generation.

Journal: Revista de Administração Contemporânea
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Cell phone application helps rehabilitate stroke survivors

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

Assistive technology developed at the University of São Paulo helps patients with reduced muscle strength or unilateral paralysis perform daily activities and regain lost body awareness.

Journal: JMIR Aging
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

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