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New description increases number of known species in jellyfish genus from seven to 28 With diameters varying from 10 cm (about the size of a saucer) to 46 cm (as big as a large serving platter), the moon jellyfish Aurelia spp. is almost entirely translucent, with a bluish or pinkish tinge, and is found in coastal environments worldwide. Seven species were recognized until recently, but a study by researchers in Brazil, Argentina and the United States has now raised the number of species in the [...]

A study by the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil investigated a fiscal transfer mechanism whereby states transfer part of their sales tax revenue to municipalities in exchange for the creation of environmental conservation units. The mechanism is known as ICMS-E. ICMS is state-collected sales tax, and the “E” stands for ecological. In an article published in the journal Ecological Economics, the researchers show that although the fiscal transfer mechanism has [...]

A scientific expedition in the Javari River basin on the border between Brazil, Colombia and Peru has shown use of environmental DNA sequencing to be feasible to investigate fish diversity in the Amazon. The eDNA method consists of extracting molecules of DNA present in water samples and identifying the species to which they belong by means of genetic markers. An article on the research published in the journal Scientific Reports also discusses the limitations of the technique for the study of [...]

A group led by researchers affiliated with the Phycology Laboratory at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, have discovered a new species of green microalga in a reservoir located in the northwest of the state. As a result of the discovery, microalgae of the genus Nephrocytium have been moved to an order belonging to a different taxonomic class and phylogenetically reclassified (placed in a new family). Green microalgae are found in [...]

Blood plasma from women with ovarian and uterine cancer can contain molecules that suggest whether they will respond well to chemotherapy or suffer a relapse, according to a study conducted by researchers in the Department of Gynecology at the Federal University of São Paulo’s Medical School (EPM-UNIFESP) in Brazil, in partnership with colleagues at the University of California Irvine (UCI) in the United States. The study sample consisted of 50 women with ovarian and endometrial [...]

In COVID-19 patients, obesity is the factor most associated with the development of endothelial dysfunction, a condition in which the blood vessels become unable to contract and relax adequately, increasing the risk of events such as heart attacks, thrombosis (blood clotting), and stroke. Endothelium refers to the thin sheet of cells lining the walls of arteries and veins, as well as the inside of the heart. Endothelial cells release substances that control vascular relaxation and contraction, [...]

Researchers who analyzed data for São Paulo state, Brazil, found the highest rates of newborn mortality from asphyxia in cities in the south, southeast and north of the state between 2004 and 2013. They cross-tabulated these results with economic data and detected a combination of high mortality with low per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in 31 of the cities. Neonatal asphyxia correlates highly with low-quality antenatal and postpartum care. Researchers who analyzed data for [...]

Yellow fever is a non-contagious viral disease with two transmission cycles, sylvatic (in wild animals) and urban. Sylvatic yellow fever circulates among monkeys, and in Brazil is transmitted by mosquitoes of the genera Haemagogus and Sabethes, which bite an infected monkey and then infect others. Urban yellow fever circulates among humans and is transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti (human-mosquito-human). Brazil has had no urban yellow fever cases since 1942, but the sylvatic version can [...]

Torquetenovirus (TTV) is one of the viruses most frequently found in the human organism. It is also common in monkeys and domestic animals. Its presence has not been associated with any known disease, but its excessive replication is a sign that something is wrong with the immune system. The correlation between high TTV load and immunosuppression has been used in medicine in certain contexts, such as monitoring transplant patients who take medication to prevent rejection of the transplanted [...]