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Laboratory technicians at the Konnevesi Research Station of the University of Jyväskylä collect fungal spores from the air. Credit: University of Jyväskylä Only a fraction of nature's diversity, or species richness, is still known, especially when it comes to insects and fungi, both of which have millions of species still unknown to science. At the same time, the loss of nature is progressing at an unprecedented rate, and researchers are racing against time to find [...]

A study conducted in Brazil points to long-term functional abnormalities in their lungs two years after hospital discharge in most severe COVID-19 patients who had required intubation, and a return of pulmonary lesions after 24 months in some people who appeared to have fully recovered on being discharged. The study involved 237 patients admitted to Hospital das Clínicas, a hospital complex run by the University of São Paulo's Medical School (FM-USP), between March and [...]

An article published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases shows that Mayaro and chikungunya viruses are circulating at the same time (co-circulating) in Roraima, Brazil's northernmost state and part of the Amazon biome. According to the authors, their findings reinforce the need for more effective epidemiological surveillance in the region. The researchers were surprised by the discovery. Their initial hypothesis was that other viruses were highly unlikely to circulate in places [...]

An international team of astronomers has conducted a survey of variable stars in the field of a globular cluster known as NGC 6558. As a result, they identified dozens of variables, out of which two turned out to be new cluster members. The finding was reported in a research paper published June 29 on the pre-print server arXiv. Variable stars could offer important hints into aspects of stellar structure and evolution. They could also be helpful for better understanding the [...]

Researchers from the University of São Paulo and Kiel University offered a novel approach to monitoring QD creation. Due to the phenomenon of quantum confinement, QDs are semiconductor nanoparticles whose emissive properties are directly correlated with dot size. This makes it possible to intelligently plan for the desired luminosity through the monitoring and control of crystal development during the synthesis of QDs in solution. This study was published in the journal Scientific [...]

Researchers from the Butantan Institute and collaborators are developing a more potent version of the BCG vaccine that protects against tuberculosis. While the conventional immunizer reduced infection by 90% in experiments with mice, the so-called recombinant BCG increased the protection rate to 99%. In addition, the new formulation protected the animals for a significantly longer period of time. "BCG is the first vaccine we receive at birth, and it's indeed effective in protecting [...]

Luminescence refers to the result of a process in which an object absorbs light at one wavelength and then re-emits it at another wavelength. Through light absorption, electrons in the ground state of the material are excited to a higher energy state. After a certain amount of time characteristic of each excited state, the electrons decay to lower energy states, including the ground state, and emit light. The phenomenon is used in a wide array of technological applications involving highly [...]

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of Brazilian researchers showed why SARS-CoV-2 infection tends to be more severe in diabetic patients. Now, the same team based at the Institute of Biology of the State University of Campinas (IB-UNICAMP) has discovered one of the reasons why obese people who do not have diabetes or even insulin resistance also have an increased risk of developing the severe form of the disease. "New experiments show that the molecular mechanisms are [...]

Measuring the level of homocysteine—an amino acid—in the blood can help predict a person's risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder characterized by recurrent interruptions in breathing due to relaxation of the throat muscles during sleep. This simple blood test can also help clinicians gauge whether a patient with the mild or moderate form of the disorder is likely to develop the severe form, according to a study conducted in Brazil by researchers at the Sleep [...]