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Collaboration between business and academia in the state of São Paulo proves the virucidal action of iron phthalocyanine and develops a mouthwash containing the compound. In a clinical trial involving patients in the initial stage of infection, the product reduces symptoms and hospital stay.

A Brazilian study that reconstructs the evolutionary history of flying mammals suggests expenditure of resources to gestate two young simultaneously results in a shorter lifespan.

Brazilian researchers conducted a study of 109 hospitalized volunteers in search of the factors that determine endothelial dysfunction, a condition in which the blood vessels become unable to contract and relax adequately, increasing the risk of heart attack, thrombosis and stroke.

Bacteria and yeasts that tolerate solar radiation, water scarcity and temperature fluctuations are found on photovoltaic panels in São Paulo state, Brazil. Researchers say some can be used to develop pigments and biodetergents.

Models capable of predicting the spread of pathogens, algorithms that monitor health complaints on social media, and the use of big data and machine learning to speed up drug development were some of the issues discussed by experts who took part in a webinar organized by FAPESP and the Global Research Council.

An article in Scientific Reports shows that the virus spread at a speed of 1 km per day in the latest sylvatic outbreaks in the state, between 2016 and 2019, reaching cities never affected before. The authors warn that the situation could recur.

The methodology used in the study, which is published in PLOS ONE, can help policymakers plan strategies for preventing deaths of babies under 28 days old.

A startup supported by FAPESP has developed a nanotechnological solution for industrial applications that increases the hardness of metal surfaces by 90%.

A study conducted at the University of São Paulo shows that levels of TTV, an apparently inoffensive virus considered an indicator of immunodepression, tend to be higher in people infected by SARS-CoV-2. TTV load declines as the symptoms of COVID-19 disappear, the researchers write in PLOS ONE.

Analysis of tissue samples showed the presence of cells that can trigger the inflammatory process typical of Crohn’s. The study paves the way for the detection of biomarkers that can help predict evolution to the severe form of the disease, and for more precise diagnosis.

A study by researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo shows test results are highly applicable in practice to identify exercise limitation, regardless of overweight or obesity.

Researchers used machine learning algorithms and traditional statistical methods to associate disease resistance with genetic traits. One of the varieties considered resistant has just been launched commercially in Brazil.

Participants in the fifth FAPESP 60 Years Conference discussed the use of evidence and data to improve education.

Carrying eggs on their back, laying them in bromeliads or depositing them on leaves are some of the strategies cataloged by Brazilian researchers in a study that will help scientists understand the evolution of vertebrates and contribute to conservation policy.

Particles released into the atmosphere by fire modify the water droplet freezing process and can affect precipitation, according to a paper in Communications Earth & Environment.

This is one of the main findings of a clinical trial involving 465 patients at 28 hospitals in six countries, including Brazil. The likelihood of dying was 78% lower for the group given a therapeutic dose of the anti-coagulant.

A study published in Frontiers in Marine Science is the first to predict the impact of long-term changes in sea surface temperature on local microbial diversity. The methodology is also innovative.

A study detected unprecedented mortality in the Atlantic Rainforest among tiny frogs that live on land, with signs of infection by chytrid fungus. The episode coincided with an atypical period of drought, which may have forced the animals to seek water in streams where the pathogen is abundant.

Benjamin List, who worked with a Brazilian researcher supported by FAPESP, won the prize for developing a cheap and eco-friendly class of catalysts.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo have unraveled the strategy used by Chromobacterium violaceum, a pathogen found in water and soil in tropical and subtropical regions, to increase its capacity to replicate and infect host organisms. The discovery offers a route for the development of novel therapies.

Torrential rain resulted in losses estimated at BRL 1.3 billion and made over 90,000 people homeless in the state, where the probability of far higher volumes of rain than expected has increased 70% owing to industrialization and global warming.

The investment will be made in the Research Center for Greenhouse Gas Innovation, an Engineering Research Center (ERC) hosted by the University of São Paulo.

The portable device developed at the Federal University of São Carlos is as accurate as RT-PCR, the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19, and can analyze up to 20 samples at the same time.

Brazil’s largest city jumped 33 places in the Nature Index 2021 Science Cities, from 172th place to 139th.

A study conducted in the port city of Santos (Brazil) by researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo shows collaboration between civil society and academia achieving progress toward the goals of the UN Ocean Decade.

At a webinar organized by BIOTA-FAPESP and SinBiose, experts from the US and Canada described their experience in synthesis science and suggested ways of strengthening the approach in Brazil.

Plankton are the foundation of life in the oceans and produce half the world’s oxygen. These marine microorganisms will suffer from rising temperatures at the poles, rising salinity in the tropics, and a reduction in the flow of nutrients in the temperate zone, according to simulations based on data collected from all oceans around the globe.

A study in rats by researchers at institutions in Brazil, the US and Norway investigated the effects of physical exercise on cancer cachexia. The analysis suggested that exercise training can be an ancillary treatment for cancer patients.

The conclusion was published by Brazilian researchers in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. They followed 1,539 children in a part of Amazonia that accounts for 18% of infections by Plasmodium vivax in Brazil.

In a study of the underlying mathematical pattern associated with the reign of the Caesars, researchers at a FAPESP-supported center concluded that the chances of survival obeyed the 80/20 rule seen in many phenomena, from earthquake magnitudes to numbers of followers on social media.

For scientists gathered at this FAPESP-hosted webinar, projects like the Belo Monte dam and the Transamazon highway have had few local benefits and led to a rise in poverty, violence, deforestation and disease.

Researchers recombined extracts from this fruit industry waste to produce a mini-emulsion that can be used as the basis for an anti-aging skin complex.

Liver recipients who contracted SARS-CoV-2 recovered faster and with less inflammation than heart or kidney recipients, according to researchers at the University of São Paulo. The reason may have to do with differing amounts and types of immunosuppressants, the drugs used to prevent organ rejection.

A study by the University of São Paulo shows that where the Negro River is very wide certain plants found on one bank are not found on the other. Overall, however, the extraordinary variety of species is due more to ecology than geography.

Experts who took part in the fourth FAPESP 60 Years Conference discussed the challenges of diagnosing and combating emerging pathogens and the need to integrate multidisciplinary teams and governments if outbreaks of infectious disease are to be prevented.

Lung tissue samples from 47 people who died as a result of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by the novel coronavirus were analyzed by Brazilian researchers. The findings can be used to improve treatment of the disease.

Proposals must be submitted by October 25. Around 1,000 innovative ideas are expected in Phase 1 of the program.

Loss of ACE2, the protein used by the novel coronavirus to invade human cells, leads to an imbalance in systems that regulate essential metabolic functions, impairing blood filtration and causing kidney injuries that can become permanent.

In an online seminar held by FAPESP, experts stressed that deforestation favors pathogen spillover from wild animals to humans, and that zoonotic disease surveillance urgently needs to be upgraded.

A study by Brazilian researchers evidenced a correlation between post-zika neurological complications and high levels of Gas6, a protein that facilitates viral replication. The findings are published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.

Molecules that attack cells and tissues in the patient’s own organism were detected in blood serum from volunteers infected by SARS-CoV-2, who progressed to moderate or severe COVID-19 after the samples were collected. The discovery could lead to novel therapeutic approaches.

Electric eels of the species Electrophorus varii feed on other fish, especially those habitually hunted by larger predators such as caimans and giant river otters. Hunting tactics enable them to maintain the same diet in the wet and dry seasons alike.

Designed and built by researchers at the Center for Development of Functional Materials, the device is much cheaper than the conventional technology.

The use of a hypertonic solution of sodium chloride at 1.1% reduced viral replication by 88% in tests involving infected lung cells conducted by researchers at the University of São Paulo. If found efficacious in clinical trials, the strategy could contribute to the development of novel prophylactic interventions and therapies for COVID-19.

Participants in a webinar held by FAPESP pointed to disorganization of the research ecosystem, lack of government planning and underinvestment as obstacles to drug development in Brazil.

In older people, the probability of falling was reduced by a factor of 7 in a study conducted at the University of São Paulo. Constant use of rigid or reinforced footwear is the main enemy of healthy feet, according to the researchers.

Study led by researchers at the University of São Paulo analyzed data for the period 1991-2014 and revealed that deforestation increased in election years. The phenomenon could cancel out the environmental gains achieved by conservation policies and actions, the scientists warn.

To achieve a deeper understanding of the links between the nervous and immune systems, researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo inhibited the REM stage of sleep in mice to see how this affected the progress of infectious diseases, allergic processes and cancer treatment.

Brazilian scientists have developed an innovation that can be used in sensors to monitor brain function with even greater sensitivity than existing devices.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo have found that infection by the novel coronavirus can cause lasting alterations to semen and testosterone production even in people who have mild or asymptomatic COVID-19.