On a visit to São Paulo to participate in the FAPESP 2023 Interdisciplinary School in Exact and Natural Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, astrophysicist Duília de Mello argued that science popularization can combat epistemic bubbles.
A group of organizations led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography have established an online platform to raise the visibility of the ocean and highlight its importance to climate negotiations and life on the planet.
Center for Research and Development of Functional Materials
A computational study conducted by the Center for Development of Functional Materials at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in Brazil could help extend the working lives of these batteries, which are widely used by utilities and manufacturers.
The fossil assemblage was found in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, one of Brazil’s richest paleontological regions. The bones belonged to animals that lived between 247 million and 208 million years ago. It is difficult to confirm they can be considered species of dinosaur.
The Ninth General Assembly of the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness, representing funding agencies, research institutions and government bodies from around the world, was held at FAPESP in São Paulo, Brazil, on October 24-25.
The emergence of rabies in distinct wildlife species is a potential source of human infection and poses life-threatening risks. As the researchers responsible for the discovery warn, anyone who comes into contact with these animals should alert the authorities. A 36-year-old farm worker died in May, only weeks after being bitten by a marmoset.
Center for Research on Redox Processes in Biomedicine
Scientists at the University of São Paulo’s Center for Research on Redox Processes in Biomedicine used a novel technique they themselves developed to identify altered molecules in an animal model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
FGV Analytics is a partnership involving FAPESP, Getúlio Vargas Foundation, the University of São Paulo and the São Paulo State Department of Public Safety. Its mission includes fostering development of evaluation tools and evidence-based public policy.
Results of trials involving animals, cell cultures and human heart tissue are reported in the European Heart Journal. The study was conducted by researchers at USP in partnership with a biopharmaceutical firm, offering hope to 2 million Brazilians who suffer from the disease.
Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases
An article published in PNAS by Brazilian and Australian researchers describes a hitherto unknown protein with anti-oxidizing properties secreted by Coxiella burnetii, a Gram-negative intracellular bacterium, pointing to possible treatments for auto-immune diseases and even cancer.
This was a consensus among representatives of funding agencies in the Americas who met virtually in October under the aegis of the Global Research Council. A previous event discussed funding for research relating to artificial intelligence in Latin America.
Highlighted on the cover of the journal Biochemistry, a study by Brazilian researchers shows that a chemical change called pyroglutamination can occur spontaneously during peptide synthesis. The discovery has implications for laboratory experiments and research on Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other diseases associated with the formation of amyloid aggregates.
The test developed by Brazilian researchers accurately identifies the causative agent in less than two hours, so that treatment can be properly targeted. Brazil is seeing a growing number of cases of co-infection by protozoans Leishmania infantum and Crithidia.
A study compared geographical and socioeconomic dimensions of the disease in São Paulo and the Barretos region. Incidence was far higher in the former but mortality rates were similar, suggesting overdiagnosis in specific areas and social groups.
