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Brazilian researchers investigated the effects of delivery date manipulation to avoid the Carnival holiday. Their findings suggest Brazilian women are giving birth too early, impairing the health of their babies.

Scientists at the University of São Paulo present this conclusion based on a systematic review of the literature in a paper published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.

In the journal Current Microbiology, Brazilian researchers describe how three strains of bacteria in the genus Lactobacillus can benefit human health and meet the needs of the cheese industry.

Richard Glenn’s aim on his first official visit to Brazil was to strengthen the ties of partnership with FAPESP.

The researchers based their findings, published in Molecular Autism, on data for more than 900 children with ASD and experiments with brain organoids derived from blood cells donated by some of the children.

Thirty-two experts affiliated with academic and research institutions in the North, Northeast and Southeast regions of Brazil wrote its 12 chapters.

According to Brazilian researchers, SARS-CoV-2 uses this strategy to manipulate the machinery of the host’s defense cells. The discovery paves the way for the development of novel therapies.

Experiments with mice at the University of São Paulo used cutting-edge techniques to investigate the neural circuits behind aversive behavior and fear memory. The findings are reported in Current Biology.

An article reporting the study is featured on the cover of Nano Letters; the findings can help design next-generation electronic materials for the semiconductor and nanotechnology industry.

The publication by André de Carvalho, a researcher at the Center for Mathematical Sciences Applied to Industry, is suitable for undergraduates, postgraduates, and professionals.

A startup supported by FAPESP has created a solution that promotes development and growth of the roots and aerial part of plants.

Brazilian researchers publish preliminary data showing that the pathogen has undergone mutations making it more aggressive and contributing to resurgence of the disease in Brazil since 2023.

The analysis was conducted by researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP), showing that when the patients took the drug, the number of times they woke up during the night fell by 25% and the amount of time they remained awake fell 30% on average.

Trials conducted at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) confirm that the isolate of Leishmania amazonensis from a 46-year-old patient is resistant to amphotericin B.

The protocol was designed at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar). Trained carers help patients take standard tests used by geriatricians and physical therapists, performing them in their own homes with remote assistance from health workers. The goal is to facilitate access to treatment for older people with dementia.

Work conducted at the Research Center for Greenhouse Gas Innovation will also analyze the best way to bring electricity to oil platforms off the Brazilian coast.

The solution, developed by a startup supported by FAPESP, estimates eight parameters with an error of under 5% for 80% of users, according to the firm’s founder.

The device can be used to implement sharing systems in which any attempt at unauthorized access is immediately detected because it alters the quantum correlations.

The Sixth FAPESP 2024 Lecture brought to São Paulo from Guinea-Bissau the intellectual Miguel de Barros to speak about “Climate change, energy transition and food sovereignty in Africa: challenges and alternatives”.

The international study involved more than 59,000 participants from 63 countries, including Brazil. By analyzing interventions that most influence people’s behavior, the work resulted in the creation of a tool that can be used by policymakers and environmental advocacy groups.

A study conducted at the University of São Paulo shows that Tipuana tipu grows faster at higher temperatures and can contribute to the city’s resilience.

A study conducted in São Paulo state (Brazil) showed that farms with peer-to-peer certification had 58.8 organic items on average, while farms conventionally certified by third parties had 22.2.

Produced by a startup supported by FAPESP, the bean protein concentrate is designed to appeal to flexitarians – consumers who want to increase their intake of plant-based foods and decrease that of animal products.

The meeting was a development arising from FAPESP Week China, held in June in Guangdong Province.

The study investigated the effect of two concentrations of smoke on seeds of 44 species typical of the Brazilian savanna-like biome. The results could be used in management and restoration strategies.

Salvator merianae, a giant tegu lizard endemic to South America, regulates its own body temperature during the mating season without relying on external heat and without shivering. Experiments conducted by researchers at São Paulo State University pointed to rising levels and activity of mitochondria in skeletal muscle as the basis for this endothermic ability.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) and colleagues in other countries conducted a study showing that strigolactones – substances hitherto associated only with plant development – can directly influence flowering and fruiting.

According to a study published in Scientific Reports, a novel strain of the fungus created at the University of São Paulo was found to be capable of boosting production of cellulosic ethanol by as much as 60% without requiring an increase in sugarcane acreage.

Researchers at the State University of Campinas and collaborators analyzed data from 82 areas of the Brazilian savanna biome located in five states and the Federal District. The results showed that recovering the biome’s extraordinary diversity requires a combination of several restoration techniques as well as conservation of what has not yet been destroyed.

The biotech based at MIT is developing bioactive versions of the product using the same technique as breweries and pharmaceuticals that produce biologics.

A study conducted at the University of São Paulo simulated the phenomenon and was highlighted by Nature Astronomy.

Alicia Kowaltowski, a member of the Research Center for Redox Processes in Biomedicine, is one of five researchers in the world to win the 2024 edition of the For Women in Science International Awards.

Software based on statistical models detects sporting talent and allows athletes’ performance to be monitored. The tool was developed with the support of FAPESP.

Mice that did not produce interleukin 22 binding protein (IL-22BP) had stronger defenses, according to an article published in PNAS. Understanding the protein’s role in intestinal health can pave the way to novel therapeutic strategies.

Brazilian researchers innovated by stimulating tumor cells so much that they became stressed and could survive only by behaving like healthy cells. The results of the study were so promising that the researchers plan to hold clinical trials with patients, to be conducted in the Netherlands before the end of 2024.

A study involving 302 volunteers showed that although the damage caused by SARS-CoV-2 was most intense among those who had severe COVID-19, some exhibited memory loss and attention deficit more than 18 months after being infected, even though they had not needed to be hospitalized.

The group uses advanced technology to map sites where vestiges of the activities of ancient populations have been preserved but risk being destroyed by the advance of deforestation, wildcat mining and climate change.

The novel compound was developed in the lab but can be produced with technology already used by the industry, facilitating scale-up. It fixes phosphorus in the soil for future crop cycles and requires fewer applications. The researchers are seeking partners to mass-produce it for use in large-scale experiments.

Lack of a method to classify forest succession stages in the applicable legislation allows for destruction of forest areas that provide important ecosystem services. The authors propose changes to make measurements more accurate and eliminate a step in permit applications that is ineffective and costly for landowners.

Researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo determined for the first time the vertical limits of the subtropical ocean region off the South American coast. They found that the upper limit of the mesotrophic zone, previously assumed to be 30 meters below the surface, was in fact in much shallower waters.

State coordination will be essential to overcome the problems in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, as Acre’s experience with floods shows.

Scheduled to start operating in 2028 at the Brazilian Center for Research on Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas (São Paulo state), the lab will enable researchers for the first time in Latin America to study viruses classified as class 4, the highest category of biological risk.

Discovery of a new viral evasion mechanism, and of a monoclonal antibody that subverts it, is an advance in immunotherapy offering the prospect of effective host-directed treatment to combat infections.

The fifth 2024 FAPESP Lecture asking “How much is mathematics worth to Brazil?” was delivered by Marcelo Viana, Director General of Brazil’s National Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA).

The device developed at the University of São Paulo is inexpensive, environmentally friendly and easy to use. A patent application has been filed.

A study comparing solutions developed in São Paulo and Melbourne, Australia, highlights the huge potential for expansion in the Brazilian megacity.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo conducted in vitro experiments with bone cells to confirm the properties of the novel biomaterial. Their findings suggest it can replace natural bone in grafting procedures to remedy defects or injuries.

Work carried out at the Genomics for Climate Change Research Center, with the support of FAPESP, revealed soil bacteria that act as natural fertilizers and have applications in agriculture.

In an article published in Nature Medicine, a group at the State University of Campinas stresses that Yanomami children are suffering the most severe nutritional deficit of any Indigenous community in the Americas and warns of long-term consequences for health.

Researchers from the Butantan Institute and collaborators reveal why recombinant BCG induces a stronger and longer-lasting response than the conventional vaccine.