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By Ricardo Muniz | Agência FAPESP – A study supported by FAPESP analyzed the potential of a bacterium for biological control of the fungus Hemileia vastatrix, which causes coffee rust, a major challenge for Brazilian coffee growers. An article on the study is published in the journal BMC Microbiology. The symptoms of coffee rust are yellow spots like burn marks on the leaves of the plant. The disease impairs photosynthesis, making foliage wither and preventing bean-producing [...]

Brazilian researchers have developed new software that allows breeders of pacus (Piaractus mesopotamicus) to more easily select individuals that are likely to produce offspring with desirable traits - such as higher fillet yields or faster weight gain. While this can be done manually, it’s a laborious process and can be harmful to the fish – to breed an entire population with the right characteristics, some 2,000 fish per generation must be measured and weighed, and the task can [...]

Religion influences secondary school students’ understanding and acceptance of evolutionary theory, but social and cultural factors such as nationality, perceptions of science and household income are more influential, according to a study involving 5,500 Brazilian and Italian students aged 14-16. An article on the study is published in the journal PLOS ONE. The participants were asked to agree or disagree with a number of statements relating to the Earth’s age, the significance [...]

Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects some 8 million people worldwide. More than a third develop severe heart or digestive problems with a heightened risk of death. The process that leads to this clinical condition is not completely understood. An article published in the journal Biomedicines describes a study led by Brazilian researchers showing that mutations occur in the mitochondrial genes of patients with Chagas disease megaesophagus, a disorder in [...]