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Study by FAPESP-Shell Engineering Research Center hosted at University of Campinas set out to develop supercapacitors that store more energy and batteries that charge faster.

In an online seminar organized by FAPESP, social scientists and behavior analysts discussed the psychological, political and cultural factors that influence the way different countries and groups respond to the pandemic.

An article in Science Advances shows high school students are steadily becoming more sensitive to environmental and scientific ideas. However, interest is uneven in regional terms. It is most intense in the North, less so in the Southeast.

Study shows that a tree frog endemic to a mountainous region of the Brazilian savanna is unable to disperse and find genetically closer mates when the terrain is rugged, potentially endangering survival of the species. The findings show that topography is an important factor for conservation policy.

Preliminary results of patient tissue analysis show that the virus infects adipocytes and alters the quantity of signaling molecules released by these cells into the bloodstream.

Analysis of DNA from 1,171 over-sixties living in São Paulo will enable scientists to identify genetic mutations responsible for diseases or important to healthy aging, according to the authors of the study.

In laboratory tests, the material eliminated 79.9% of SARS-CoV-2 particles in three minutes and 99.99% in up to 15 minutes.

A cross-border team of researchers refute arguments that carbon debt, opportunity cost and indirect land-use change prevent greenhouse gas mitigation by biofuels.

Research shows how Nef subverts human cells’ defense mechanisms to enable HIV to advance; Brazilian scientists comment on progress in this area in Nature group journal article.

Scientists at a research center supported by FAPESP identified a non-inherited mutation in blood cells from a patient with GATA2 deficiency that may have prevented bone marrow failure and other clinical manifestations.

Group led by Brazilian ecologist shows defaunation wiped out 40% of the ecosystem services provided or supported by mammals, such as ecotourism, disease control and soil formation. Large-bodied mammals are disappearing fastest.

Researchers examine retinas and find high prevalence of type 2 diabetes as well as ocular problems caused by the disease.

Potential applications of research conducted at the University of São Paulo include high-precision metrology and information encoding.

Model developed by startup supported by FAPESP enables scientists to assess efficacy and safety of sunscreens and anti-aging products under conditions closely resembling real life.

Incentives to drive a rapid recovery by the sector, one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, will contribute to a resumption of world economic growth, save or create millions of jobs, and contain global emissions of carbon dioxide, experts say.

Monoclonal antibody tested by researchers at University of São Paulo and experimental drug given to patients in Italy by University of Pennsylvania research group promoted rapid improvement of respiratory function in patients hospitalized in severe condition.

Sirius’s protein crystallography beamline analyzed more than 200 protein crystals from the novel coronavirus as they were exposed to tiny fragments of widely used drugs. If a compound fits perfectly into a target protein, its action can be blocked in the virus.

Devices developed by Brazilian startup BioLambda decontaminate face shields, surfaces, workspaces and air.

Intervention was tested in mice by Brazilian researchers. Study showed that targeted stimulation of PKA production promoted muscle growth and enhanced resistance to fatigue.

Investigation conducted by international group of researchers showed that chikungunya virus can cause neurological infections. Risk of death in subacute phase is higher for patients with diabetes and significant for young adults.

Three waves of the disease swept the state between 2016 and 2018. An international group of researchers described how the virus spread in a study published in PLOS Pathogens based on the sequencing of 51 viral isolates extracted from mosquitoes and monkeys.

Brazilian researchers discovered that sTREM-1 protein in immunoglobulin family could be a very useful biomarker to help medical teams make clinical decisions.

Experiments conducted by Brazilian researchers with lymphocytes isolated from COVID-19 patients showed the virus using the protein CD4 to invade cells that play a key role in coordinating the immune response.

Analyses by Brazilian researchers suggest alterations to pH caused by stomach acid lead to increase in expression of ACE2 and make cells more susceptible to infection by novel coronavirus.

The newest Engineering Research Center will initially focus on challenges relating to health, the environment, food production chains, the future of work, and the development of natural language processing tools for Brazilian Portuguese.

Renowned scientists will address topics related to how society has been coping with this threatening environment and will discuss factors that influence behavioral change.

Adaptation of muscle tissue to aerobic exercise alters the metabolism of muscle stem cells, helping them recover from injury. Findings may contribute to treatment of cachexia, sarcopenia and other conditions associated with lean mass loss.

Findings reported by Brazilian researchers in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases help explain why only some babies whose mothers are infected during pregnancy are born with microcephaly and other anomalies.

Analysis identified 525 genes encoding proteins that act on the nervous system, cardiovascular system and cell walls. One of the molecules proved effective against cancer cells in preliminary test results.

Led by research groups from the universities of Campinas and São Paulo, the investigation combined MRI scans of mild COVID-19 patients, analysis of brain tissue samples from patients who died from COVID-19, and experiments performed with human nerve cells infected in the laboratory.

Brazilian researchers found the novel coronavirus replicating inside immune cells from patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Experiments on lymphocytes infected in the laboratory showed that viral entry induced programmed cell death.

A study quantified the size and age of the forests that grow naturally in degraded and abandoned areas, creating 131 benchmark maps for Brazil. The Amazon has the most restored forests and the Atlantic Rainforest biome has the oldest.

In an article published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, a group affiliated with a FAPESP-supported research center reports that an enzyme associated with energy production in cells also participates in the differentiation of immune cells involved in exacerbated inflammation. The discovery could lead to more effective treatment.

Study by Brazilian and South African researchers is the first to prove, using a graph analysis tool, that REM dream narratives tend to be more complex and connected than reports of non-REM dreams

Brazilian startup Agrobee signs agreement with Agroven, an investment club run by family farmers who want to promote technological development in the sector.

Conclusion presented by Brazilian researchers in Obesity Research & Clinical Practice is based on analysis of nine clinical studies involving 6,577 patients infected by SARS-CoV-2 in five countries.

Methodology developed by Brazilian researchers is based on analysis of metabolites in blood serum. Innovation has been patented and reported in Journal of Psychiatric Research.

Study led by researchers at Oxford University suggests that after successive infections by the coronaviruses that cause common colds throughout life the defense system becomes specialized and cannot recognize emergent varieties such as SARS-CoV-2.

Study conducted at São Paulo State University demonstrates for first time that simple and inexpensive strategy yields better results than conventional treatment and avoids indiscriminate use of antibiotics.

Laboratory tests showed film containing silver-silica nanoparticles to be capable of eliminating 99.84% of SARS-CoV-2 particles after exposure for two minutes.

Study correlated confirmed and suspected COVID-19 deaths in the city of São Paulo between March and June with socio-economic data on area in which deceased patients lived, showing that such deaths peaked in mid-May.

Simulations using field data suggest focusing on the protection of species that live in rivers and lakes can be more efficient than the approach most used now, which focuses on terrestrial biodiversity. An article at Science is based on the findings.

A cross-border group led by researchers at the University of São Paulo presented findings for Manaus from a study based on mathematical modeling combined with serological analysis. The results showed seroprevalence at 22% in the city of São Paulo.

Brazilian researchers studied the morphology of owl wings in search of characteristics that enable these birds to fly silently.

An article in The Lancet stresses the vulnerability of these health workers, whose readiness to counter fake news with trustworthy information, and to monitor COVID-19 patients in home isolation, has been neglected.

Model developed by Brazilian researchers predicts spatial and temporal evolution of epidemic diseases and can help plan more effective social isolation programs with less socio-economic impact.

Collaborative projects in these knowledge areas can produce information that helps policymakers understand the behavioral changes required to manage the ongoing public health crisis and mitigate its impacts, according to participants in the annual meeting of the Trans-Atlantic Platform, held online in September.

In the fourth phase of EPICOVID-19 BR, the proportion of the population with antibodies against the novel coronavirus fell from 3.8% in June to 1.4% in August in 133 cities. According to the authors, the methodology accurately estimates contagion rates in the previous 45 days.

Brazilian researchers show that African forage grasses resist management by fire and that palisade grass tends to spread to burned areas previously occupied by molasses grass, another invasive species.

Brazilian researchers discover that caecilians, limbless amphibians resembling worms or snakes that emerged some 150 million years before the latter, can probably inject venom into their prey while biting.