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Using human blood cells, Brazilian researchers have obtained hepatic organoids ("mini-livers") that perform all of the liver's typical functions, such as producing vital proteins, storing vitamins and secreting bile, among many others. The innovation permits the production of hepatic tissue in the laboratory in only 90 days and may in the future become an alternative to organ transplantation. The study was conducted at the Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center [...]

Leafcutter ants such as Atta sexdens or Acromyrmex lobicornis face two major challenges when they leave the safety of the nest to forage: choosing the best plants from which to collect leaves and avoiding being surprised by strong winds or heavy rain, which would prevent them from carrying out their task. A study by researchers at the University of São Paulo's Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ-USP) in Brazil shows that leafcutter ants are capable of predicting adverse [...]

Repercussão de notícia produzida pela Agência FAPESP sobre pesquisa da USP que descreveu um sistema presente em uma espécie de bactéria oportunista, encontrada em ambientes hospitalares, capaz de injetar um coquetel de toxinas e eliminar completamente outras bactérias competidoras. A descoberta pode ajudar, futuramente, no desenvolvimento de novos compostos antimicrobianos. O estudo, apoiado pela FAPESP por meio de Bolsa de Pós-doutorado, Auxílio à Pesquisa – Jovens Pesquisadores e dois Auxílios à Pesquisa – Temático, foi publicado na PLOS Pathogens

A study of six beaches in the coastal city of Guarujá in São Paulo state (Southeast Brazil) suggests that urbanization may be a source of stress not only for humans but also for mussels. Researchers affiliated with the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in Santos, Brazil, and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia, found a direct correlation among the degree of urbanization, contamination of the sea by metals and the possible metabolic stress [...]

An international group of researchers led by Brazilian scientists has assembled the most complete genome sequence of commercial sugarcane. They mapped 373,869 genes or 99.1 percent of the total genome. This feat is the result of almost 20 years of research, and will serve as a basis for the genetic improvement of the world's largest crop in tonnage according to the U.N. Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO). An article describing the study is published in GigaScience. Its lead authors [...]

  The Amazon Basin contains the largest number of scientifically described freshwater fish species in the world: 2,257 or 15% of the total number of known freshwater species. According to a new study, however, this vast biodiversity is unevenly distributed and follows a completely unexpected pattern. The study was conducted by researchers affiliated with Amazon Fish, an international collaboration that is supported by São Paulo Research Foundation—FAPESP and is building a [...]

The impact of the soil microbiota on the mitigation of greenhouse gases in tropical forests was the topic of a lecture given by Tsai Siu Mui, a professor and vice-director at CENA-USP. Greenhouse gases retain the thermal energy reflected by the Earth's surface. However, in soils of tropical forests, such as the Amazon, elements such as methane and nitrous oxide are actively recycled through biogeochemical processes. "This was demonstrated by measuring subterranean microbial [...]

The second law of thermodynamics states that the total entropy of an isolated system always tends to increase over time until it reaches a maximum. In other words, disorganization increases without outside intervention. Electrical equipment inevitably heats up as part of the energy is dissipated in the form of heat instead of being used for mechanical work, and objects deteriorate over time but do not spontaneously regenerate. However, this intuitive nature of entropy does not necessarily [...]

In the 2019 harvest, members of the Landless Workers' Movement (MST), in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, commemorated a harvest estimated at 16,000 tons of organic and agroecological rice, the biggest production of its kind in the whole country. 363 families in 15 settlements work in the rice production. In the south of the state of Minas Gerais, 20 families of the Campo Grande "quilombo" community produce Guaií organic and agroecological coffee, internationally [...]