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Em 2026: 104 notícias
Desde 1995: 365 notícias
Biodegradable sensors attached to plants detect pesticides in 3 minutes
Publicado em 14 de maio de 2026
Researchers at the São Carlos Institute of Physics at the University of São Paulo (IFSC-USP) in Brazil, led by Paulo Augusto Raymundo-Pereira, have created biodegradable, "wearable" sensors for plants to monitor their health, including the presence of pesticides. The sensors are made from carbon ink and are screen-printed onto transparent cellulose acetate bioplastics.
The study was published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics: X. The World Economic Forum selected wearable sensor engineering [...]
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Brazilian dinosaur discovery points to an ancient route from Europe to South America
Publicado em 13 maio 2026A giant dinosaur lay buried about eight meters below a construction site in northeastern Brazil, hidden in sediments so old that the first people to see its bones thought they might belong to Ice Age mammals. Instead, the remains turned out to be something far older and far larger. It was a new species of long-necked sauropod that stretched roughly 20 meters, or about 65 feet, from head to tail. The animal, named Dasosaurus tocantinensis, lived about 120 million years ago in what is now [...]ver notícia -
Sustainable electrosynthesis enables production of amines directly from airborne nitrogen
Publicado em 13 maio 2026Amines are a functional group characterized by the presence of a nitrogen atom bonded to one or more alkyl or aryl (aromatic ring) groups. Derived from ammonia, amines play crucial roles in biological systems and various industrial applications. In everyday life, they can be found in common products such as medicines and cosmetics, where they act as active ingredients or stabilizers. However, the production of amines typically relies on complex chemical processes that are often based on [...]ver notícia -
Ancient fossils confirm Cambrian filter-feeding strategy still in use
Publicado em 12 maio 2026Ancient feeding confirmed: Harvard scientists found quantitative evidence that Cambrian luolishaniids used suspension feeding, filtering plankton from seawater. Modern parallels: Predator–prey size patterns in the fossils match those of current marine filter feeders, showing ecological strategies persisted for half a billion years. Rare preservation: Soft-bodied luolishaniids are seldom preserved, making these fossils a rare window into early non-biomineralized marine life. Ancient [...]ver notícia -
Brazilian microfossils interpreted as animal traces are actually algae and bacteria, research reveals
Publicado em 12 maio 2026A reexamination of microfossils found in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul shows that the marks previously interpreted as traces of worms or other small oceanic animals are actually communities of fossilized microscopic bacteria and algae. These findings imply that during the Ediacaran period, approximately 540 million years ago, there may not have been enough oxygen for the evolution of invertebrates that left traces in the substrate, as previously thought. The study is published in [...]ver notícia -
Scientists destroy COVID and flu viruses in the lab with sound waves
Publicado em 11 maio 2026Sound waves already used in medical scans may have a surprising new target: viruses. In lab experiments, scientists have demonstrated how ultrasound blasts can break down influenza A (H1N1) and SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. Microscopic vibrations caused by ultrasound waves are sufficient to rupture the membranes surrounding their viral particles, experiments showed, rendering the viruses inactive. The research was led by a team from the University of São Paulo in Brazil and could [...]ver notícia -
Heavy Atlantic rain can block African aerosols from fertilizing Amazon, study finds
Publicado em 09 maio 2026How are cold air masses advancing in the United States connected to fertilizers carried by "flying rivers" from Africa that nourish the soils of the Brazilian Amazon? An article published in Geophysical Research Letters reveals an atmospheric connection between these distant regions. Scientists discovered that synoptic systems—large-scale meteorological phenomena spanning thousands of kilometers—such as cold waves in the U.S. and high-pressure anomalies in the South Atlantic, modify [...]ver notícia -
Ultrasound waves rupture COVID-19 and flu viruses without damaging cells
Publicado em 07 maio 2026Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have discovered that high-frequency ultrasound waves similar to those used in medical exams can eliminate viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1 without damaging human cells. In an article published in Scientific Reports, they describe how the phenomenon, known as acoustic resonance, causes structural changes in viral particles until they rupture and become inactivated. "It's kind of like fighting the virus with a shout. In this [...]ver notícia -
Study finds swimming beats running for better heart health
Publicado em 06 maio 2026The researchers explained that microRNAs are molecules that regulate the expression of messenger RNAs, which are responsible for protein synthesis. Dr. Serra, from the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), said: "Although several studies had already examined the expression of microRNAs regulated by aerobic training in general, little was known about expression patterns when swimming and running were compared in the same experimental setting. "Therefore, [...]ver notícia -
These simple seeds prove highly effective at purifying water from microplastics
Publicado em 06 maio 2026Could a simple plant seed become a powerful ally against microplastics in water? Brazilian researchers have just shown that moringa seed extract removes these particles as well as, and sometimes better than, conventional chemical treatments. The secret? A surprising natural property: moringa proteins cause microplastics to clump together, making them easy to remove by filtration. Microplastics, those tiny plastic fragments, are a growing source of pollution. They often pass through [...]ver notícia