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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 [...]

It’s an everyday scene. Pooch wants a tasty-looking piece of cake that’s sitting on the table. What does he do? He gazes longingly at the titbit, ogles his master or mistress, and glances back at the cake. This “conversation” with humans gets him what he wants. Communication between dogs and humans involving an exchange of looks is very common, but different life experiences can change it, according to a study conducted at the University of São Paulo (USP) in [...]

A Brazilian study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment shows how wildfires and forest burning for agriculture influence rain cloud formation in the Amazon. According to the authors, aerosols (tiny solid particles and liquid droplets emitted into the atmosphere by fire) hinder the freezing of cloud droplets when the atmosphere is humidified, but can also promote freezing when the atmosphere is dry. This alters the natural functioning of clouds and their typical height, [...]

The aquatic fungus, which has led to the extinction of several species of amphibians that spend all or part of their life cycle in water, also threatens terrestrial amphibians. In Brazil, researchers supported by FAPESP have found unprecedented mortality among a genus of tiny frogs known as pumpkin toads, which inhabit the rainforests of the Atlantic Ocean away from any aquatic environment. The animals were heavily infected with chytrid (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), which causes [...]

In 2019, history student Rodrigo Gomes found out on social media about a call for volunteers to take part in a scientific project relating to the ocean and conducted by the Federal University of São Paulo’s Institute of Marine Sciences (IMAR-UNIFESP) in Santos, on the coast of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. He signed up for the project, took workshops, and trained in the field. “I was very fortunate to have all that contact with professors and learned a great deal [...]

Climate change was the main cause of the extremely heavy rainfall that led to severe flooding, deaths and massive damage in cities across Minas Gerais state, Southeast Brazil, in January 2020, according to a study published in the journal Climate Resilience and Sustainability. Using climate modeling for the region, the study shows that the effects of industrialization and global warming increased the probability of far higher volumes of rain than expected by 70% compared to scenarios with [...]

The Roman Empire was ruled by 175 men, from Augustus (63 BCE-19 CE) to Constantine XI (1405-53), including the Eastern or Byzantine Empire after the split in 395 CE, but excluding those who did not rule in their own right because they were minors during regencies or co-emperors. Only 24.8% of the 69 rulers of the Western Empire died of natural causes. The rest died a violent death on the battlefield or in palace plots. Considering all 175, 30% were murdered, committed suicide or died in [...]

A study conducted at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, and reported in an article published in the journal Conservation Letters, shows that destruction of the Atlantic Rainforest increases in election years. The researchers correlated data from the Electoral High Court (TSE) and MapBiomas, the Brazilian Annual Land Use and Land Cover Mapping Project, for 2,253 municipalities in the southern and southeastern regions covering the period 1991-2014. They [...]

A novel form of citizenship and community action is on view in a few small towns in the Brazilian Amazon. According to a field survey conducted in Carauari—which is a two-hour flight or a five-day boat trip away from Amazonas state capital Manaus—the townspeople are highly organized to practice a type of circular economy that converts waste into resources. The experience underway in the area can serve as an example for other Brazilian towns. An article on the study appears [...]