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News from Latin America

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 5-Jul-2025 15:10 ET (5-Jul-2025 19:10 GMT/UTC)

Quantum computer simulates spontaneous symmetry breaking at zero temperature

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Unprecedented experiment reproduces phase transition in system with short-range interactions, challenging traditional predictions of physics

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Sensory-motor activity protocol increases reading speed of children with dyslexia

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A pilot intervention project involving playful activities that engaged motor skills and cognition showed promising results in improving eye movements and reading speed in eleven children with dyslexia.

Journal: Applied Neuropsychology Child
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Overtraining: the cause of symptoms caused by excessive physical exercise has been discovered

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In tests with rodents, researchers from the State University of Campinas and their collaborators found that hyperactivation of the PARP1 protein after exhaustive training was associated with decreased performance, fatigue, and behavioral symptoms of overtraining. Animals treated with a drug that inhibits the molecule’s activity did not exhibit the condition.

Journal: Molecular Metabolism
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Human fishing reshaped Caribbean reef food webs, 7000-year old exposed fossilized reefs reveal

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A groundbreaking study of 7000-year-old exposed coral reef fossils reveals how human fishing has transformed Caribbean reef food webs: as sharks declined by 75% and fish preferred by humans became smaller, prey fish species flourished —doubling in numbers and growing larger. This unprecedented look into prehistoric reef communities shows how the loss of top predators cascaded through the entire food web, shifting the balance amongst coral reefs

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Túngara frog tadpoles that grew up in the city developed faster but ended up being smaller

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Have you ever wondered how city life affects animals like frogs? A new study reveals that urban Túngara frog tadpoles develop faster —but end up being smaller — than tadpoles from forests, probably resulting in smaller adults. This might be an adaptation to warmer urban puddles with fewer predators or to constantly changing environmental conditions in the city.

Journal: Journal of Animal Ecology

New model enables the study of how protein complex influences mitochondrial function

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A yeast experiment conducted at a FAPESP-supported research center shows how deficiencies in the proteasome, which is responsible for eliminating damaged and non-functional proteins, affect the metabolism of mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for cells.

Journal: Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

New study highlights neglected dynamics of coral and algae energy use

Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences

A new study by the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, published in PLoS ONE, reveals that coral and algae respiration rates vary significantly throughout the day, peaking in the afternoon, contrary to the long-held assumption that respiration remains constant. Led by marine ecologist Yvonne Sawall, the research shows that relying on nighttime respiration rates underestimates daily respiration and photosynthesis by up to 23% and 18%, respectively.

Journal: PLOS One
Funder: BIOS Cawthorn Innovation Fund, U.S. National Science Foundation, Erasmus program for student exchange

Study finds that common bacteria in the mouth can help predict the progression of head and neck cancer

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

By analyzing patient samples, Brazilian researchers identified the species Fusobacterium nucleatum in nearly 60% of cases, with a higher prevalence in oropharyngeal tumors. This microorganism has also been associated with the development of colorectal cancer.

Journal: Journal of Oral Microbiology
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Research reveals how hormone accelerates fat burning and promotes weight loss in obese mice

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An experiment conducted at the State University of Campinas showed that FGF19, produced in the intestine, acts on specific regions of the brain, causing the body to burn energy to produce heat; the discovery paves the way for new drugs.

Journal: Endocrinology and Metabolism
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Fishermen in Maceió, Brazil, have higher-than-average mercury levels

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Blood and urine analyses of the population living in the Mundaú lagoon complex revealed a greater presence of chemical contaminants and metabolic alterations that can exacerbate chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension. These results underscore the need to monitor the health of the inhabitants and control the sources of contamination.

Journal: Journal of Hazardous Materials
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

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