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Computational tools applied to biology are revolutionizing the study of what happens inside cells during an infection, helping scientists to understand disease mechanisms and contributing to the identification of potential therapeutic targets. An example is a study published in PLOS Pathogens describing how Brazilian researchers analyzed blood cells from patients infected with chikungunya virus. With the aid of techniques such as complex network analysis, artificial intelligence and machine [...]

Fungi of the genus Candida cause thrush and candidiasis, a fairly common disease in humans. It can be lethal to individuals with low immunity, especially when they are hospitalized. Although the drug most widely used to combat the disease is effective in most cases, some varieties of the fungus are drug-resistant. Compounds that combat two species of Candida have now been isolated from a plant by researchers based in Brazil and Spain. The plant is Mimosa caesalpiniifolia, a shrub native to the [...]

Much remains mysterious about the factors influencing human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but one aspect that has emerged as a key contributor is the gut microbiome, the collection of microorganisms dwelling in the intestines. Diet is known to profoundly affect this microbial community, and special diets have been used as therapies for intestinal disorders including Crohn's disease in people. They're also commonly used in dogs, which can develop a chronic intestinal disease that [...]

There are at least three species of electric eels (Electrophorus spp.), not just one as previously believed. Two new species have recently been described with São Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP's support by a group of researchers affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society, among other institutions. One of the new species can discharge up to 860 volts, the strongest of any known animal. Electric eels are naked-back knifefishes (Gymnotidae) and are [...]

South American rivers are home to at least three different species of electric eels, including a newly identified species capable of generating a greater electrical discharge than any other known animal, according to a new analysis of 107 fish collected in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname in recent years. Scientists have known for more than 250 years that electric eels, which send electricity pulsing through the water to stun their prey, live in the Amazon basin. They are widely [...]

 Titanium oxide (TiO2) nanofibers can have various applications, such as in catalyzers and filters. When TiO2 is excited by ultraviolet light, it degrades organic material. Hence, TiO2 can be applied to filter wastewater for reuse, for example. A new method of fabricating these fibers has been developed in Brazil by Rodrigo Savio Pessoa and Bruno Manzolli Rodrigues, researchers at the Aeronautical Technology Institute's Plasma and Process Laboratory (LPP-ITA) and the Science and [...]

In a study published in Scientific Reports, a group of researchers affiliated with São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil describes an important theoretical finding that may contribute to the development of quantum computing and spintronics (spin electronics), an emerging technology that uses electron spin or angular momentum rather than electron charge to build faster, more efficient devices. The study was supported by São Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP. Its principal [...]

Passion fruit woodiness caused by cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV), the disease that most affects passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) grown in Brazil, can be combated with a relatively simple technique. A study published in the journal Plant Pathology shows that systematic eradication of plants with symptoms of the disease preserves the crop as a whole and keeps plants producing for at least 25 months. The technique currently used to combat CABMV entails renewing the entire orchard every [...]

In the southern Atlantic Rainforest remnants between Rio de Janeiro State in Southeast Brazil and Santa Catarina State in South Brazil, there are some 600 species of harvestmen (Opiliones), arachnids that live in caves and humid forests. The number of species is considered high even for this well-known biodiversity hotspot, and most of these species are endemic. A reconstitution of the evolutionary history of the subfamily Sodreaninae has brought to light an explanation for this peculiar [...]