News

With simple audio messages and images, the Viva Vida program produced significant improvements in over-sixties living in a major city in metropolitan São Paulo (Brazil). An article on the study is published in Nature Medicine.

The extreme weather events in the South of Brazil call for urgent coordinated action by governments and entities. The Paraíba do Sul basin is the focus for a “pilot” project conducted by a group of researchers.

A study conducted in a medium-sized city in São Paulo state (Brazil) found that chikungunya, which has caused major epidemics in several countries, can also circulate silently in a community, with few infections for years. The researchers produced a new profile of this arbovirus, underscoring the importance of disease surveillance to predict and prepare efficiently for epidemics.

A startup supported by FAPESP is using AI to detect chronic diseases by analyzing ordinary blood tests.

The use of photobiomodulation and an antioxidant drug called idebenone strengthened the regenerative capacity of muscle fibers in an experimental model, a study conducted at the State University of Campinas shows.

An analysis of scientific papers published in a 15-year period on molecular methods to identify elasmobranch species shows that better detection of illegal trade has not enhanced protection.

Experiment with the semiconductor silver phosphate revealed an unprecedented mechanism for the formation of reactive oxygen species – toxic molecules that can cause the death of pathogens.

After 48 hours of exposure to the pesticides imidacloprid, pyraclostrobin and glyphosate, stingless bees of the species Melipona scutellaris exhibited morphological and behavioral alterations that could weaken colonies, impair pollination and adversely affect food security.

For two weeks, scientists from the University of São Paulo collected specimens of poraquês and other fish of the order Gymnotiformes aboard the vessel Comandante Gomes. The Agência FAPESP report followed the work in the field.

In preparation for the expedition down the Negro River in search of fish of the order Gymnotiformes, researchers gather more than 200 kilos of equipment and supplies for detecting, collecting and storing specimens.

Historic drought in the Negro River basin and a possible inaccurate description of the distribution of Iracema caiana may be reasons why the species was not found by the DEGy Negro River Expedition. The episode describes the first collections.

A species from the Negro River basin uses the spaces between the roots and hollows of trees to build nests and care for its young for four to six months, leaving only at night to hunt.

The most abundant electric fish are found from the bottom of large rivers to igarapés, where they can bury themselves in the sand or blend into the leaf litter. In two weeks, an expedition in the Negro River basin collected 27 species of the group.

The low severity of the injury, rapid medical attention and appropriate care meant that the researcher was able to return to work on the same day he was stung by a venomous fish. In the Amazon, cases often get worse because a lack of specialized care.

One of the fishing methods used to collect electric fish in the DEGy Negro River Expedition was employed for the first time on a large scale in freshwater during the Calhamazon project, which brought together researchers from Brazil and the United States between 1993 and 1996.

The last episode of the series of reports takes stock of the journey of a group of researchers from the USP Museum of Zoology, who spent two weeks traveling along the Negro, Preto and Jauaperi rivers in the states of Amazonas and Roraima.

Researchers detected SARS-CoV-2 in male reproductive cells under the microscope even when PCR testing failed to detect the virus in semen. The discovery serves as a warning of possible implications for natural conception and particularly for assisted reproduction.

In a study involving mice, scientists used a technique that combines light stimulation and bioengineering to activate a cluster of nerve cells deep inside the brain. The discovery could pave the way to future treatment of eating disorders.

An analysis of data from weather stations shows that large contiguous areas of the region have seen more days of extremely heavy rain in the past seven decades.

In tests involving animals, nanoparticles containing substances already approved for human use reduced inflammation in the biological microenvironment where malignant tumors flourish and facilitated the action of the immune system.

In the fourth 2024 FAPESP Lecture, Carlos Jaramillo, a Colombian geologist, palynologist and paleobiologist affiliated with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama, showed how South America’s landscapes and biomes have evolved over geological time.

A startup supported by FAPESP is developing a system to assure the proper use of elements capable of guaranteeing structural integrity at high temperatures while reducing heat transfer from machinery and equipment to the environment.

Extension project developed by students aged 8 to 15 at the House of Science of the Blood Center run by the University of São Paulo in Ribeirão Preto.

In experiments with mice, researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil and the Pasteur Institute in Lille (France) found that viral load and inflammation decreased in animals infected by influenza virus when they were given the substance.

In an article published in Nature Metabolism, researchers based in Brazil and Mexico analyze the Latin American obesity epidemic from a broad perspective that includes socioeconomic, cultural and epigenetic factors. For the authors, solutions must focus on collective action rather than individualization of the problem.

Scientists at São Paulo State University (UNESP) and Oklahoma State University (OSU) verified in the field that a parasitoid wasp that neutralizes the Brown stink bug should ideally be released at intervals of 30 m.

A startup supported by FAPESP is developing a methodology that will give oncologists more precise information to help them choose the best therapeutic approach.

The first Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center (RIDC) hosted by São Paulo State University (UNESP) will promote innovation focusing on sustainable solutions and accelerated knowledge dissemination.

A study supported by FAPESP produced films comprising polyaniline nanostructures with a carbon nanotube underlayer.

A delegation from INRAE visited FAPESP to discuss common areas of interest in scientific collaboration.

Today’s key issues, such as artificial intelligence, climate change, cancer and Brazilian institutions, will be the focus of inter-institutional and multidisciplinary teaching and research; the new organization gives groups more autonomy and agility.

Chemical analysis of stalagmites in the Peruaçu Caves National Park showed that global warming has disrupted the hydrological cycle in Brazil’s central region, making a significant proportion of any rain that falls evaporate before it can penetrate the soil.

In a study with 49 participants, researchers at the State University of Campinas found that daily consumption of a dietary supplement containing 15 g of the substance for five weeks improved glucose metabolism even after meals.

Developed by Brazilian scientists, the device connects wirelessly to a smartphone and can be used to monitor general health.

The mission, which will be led by archeologist and anthropologist Walter Neves, aims to understand how the Neanderthals interacted with Homo sapiens, and why they disappeared.

Researchers at a startup supported by FAPESP have developed a material that mimics conditions in the uterus and could result in a 32% rise in bovine embryo production.

The aim is to fund bilateral projects in the field of artificial intelligence, focusing on mobility, energy and security.

Through experiments with human cells and animals, researchers from the University of São Paulo and collaborators have shown how gene-environment interactions during the craniofacial development of the embryo can lead to malformations.

Researchers at a FAPESP-supported research center showed that the addition of bromine to extracellular matrix proteins is a physiological modification dependent on the enzyme peroxidasin – the study extends knowledge of the scope of this enzyme’s activity in the mammalian organism.

A study conducted at the University of São Paulo with 23 volunteers found that only evening training regulated baroreflex sensitivity, a mechanism that compensates for abrupt changes in blood pressure.

This study was conducted at the University of São Paulo and published in Clinical Oral Investigations; the authors emphasize the importance of collaboration between dentists and psychiatrists to improve diagnosis and treatment.

In an experiment resulting from collaboration between two FAPESP-supported research centers, a material was modified for use in solar-driven water splitting to produce hydrogen.

BioDecision has developed a methodology that combines RNA sequencing and big data to offer the pharmaceutical industry molecular targets of interest for treatment of the disease.

Results show that oral fluid bacteria differ from fecal and environmental bacteria. Identification of these microorganisms can help diagnose infectious diseases and improve pork production.

Focus on transdisciplinarity aims to foster participation by all stakeholders in efforts to address global change. The subject was front and center at an event held in April 2024 at a historic town in São Paulo state.

Director of the Institute of Mathematical and Computer Sciences at the University of São Paulo collaborates with work developed in the UK to guide governments.

The new office is expected to serve as a research hub for the Research Center for Greenhouse Gas Innovation in Europe, fostering international partnerships.

Since 2001, when it was first recorded in the Jaguarai reservoir in São Paulo state, the Silver croaker (Plagioscion squamosissimus) has established and increased its population in the Paraíba do Sul Basin to the detriment of native fish species.

The drug accumulates not only in water, but also in sediments and marine organisms, and poses a high ecological risk, said Camilo Seabra, a professor at the Federal University of São Paulo, during FAPESP Week Illinois.

Leaf cellulose is converted by pyrolysis to graphite, which is printed in the right shape for the surface to function as a sensor. Tests to determine concentrations of dopamine and paracetamol confirmed that the sensor performed successfully.