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A group led by researchers at Butantan Institute in Brazil and supported by FAPESP has described for the first time the presence of venom glands in the mouth of an amphibian. The legless animal is a caecilian and lives underground. It has tooth-related glands that, when compressed during biting, release a secretion into its prey - earthworms, insect larvae, small amphibians and snakes, and even rodent pups. A paper reporting the study is published in iScience. "We were analyzing the mucus [...]

A study published in Science on October 2 suggests that prioritizing aquatic environments in conservation programs for the Amazon region can be up to six times more efficient than focusing on the protection of terrestrial species, as is usual. The conclusion is based on simulations using georeferenced field data on species diversity, weather and topography, among other things. The simulations enabled the researchers to identify the most important areas for the conservation of each group of [...]

Results of recent studies involving valproic acid, used for decades as an anti-convulsant drug, show that it can interact with the conformation of DNA and regulate gene expression. These are some of the key findings from a project led by biologist Maria Luiza S. Mello at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in the state São Paulo, Brazil, with the collaboration of Benedicto de Campos Vidal, Emeritus Professor in the Biology Institute’s Department of Structural and Functional [...]

A new field of research in microbiology is transforming the way scientists see fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms. Microbiome research is so promising that it has drawn attention from funders and industry as well as scientists. In the United States alone, the market for microbiome-based agricultural products is expected to be worth more than $10 billion by 2025. Research on the human microbiome has surpassed $1.7 billion in the past decade. Scientific study of microbiomes is growing [...]

Researchers in the University of São Paulo's School of Physical Education and Sports (EEFE-USP) in Brazil compared the effect of two widely used classes of anti-hypertensive drugs on post-exercise hypotension, an expected and beneficial fall in blood pressure after a session of aerobic exercise, especially in the late afternoon or early evening. According to the researchers, the findings of their study can help health professionals choose the most beneficial time of day for patients [...]

To understand how climate change may affect different ecosystems, 27 researchers from Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana and Puerto Rico, among other countries, conducted experiments in seven different locations involving the aquatic environment in the tank (centrally-located water-holding cup) of bromeliads, a habitat for insect larvae and other small organisms. They discovered that, in contrast with what might be thought, the smallest organisms at the bottom of the food [...]

A study conducted by researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) suggests that irisin, a hormone secreted from muscles in response to exercise, could have a therapeutic effect on COVID-19 patients. When they analyzed adipose cell gene expression, the researchers found that irisin modulated genes associated with replication of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in human cells. This finding was based on analysis of the transcriptome (all RNAs produced by genes) of adipose cells not [...]

Projections based on climate models for the mid-Pliocene Warm Period (about 3 million years ago) suggest that countries in the tropical and subtropical southern hemisphere, including Brazil, may face longer droughts in the future. Annual rainfall may decrease as much as 30% compared with current levels. One of the main variables considered in this scenario is a rise of 3 °C in the global average temperature, which may happen between 2050 and the end of the century unless the effects of [...]

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have characterized a novel family of anti-bacterial toxins present in bacteria, including Salmonella enterica. This species uses toxic proteins to kill other bacteria in gut microbiota and facilitate colonization of the infected host’s gut. The study is published in Cell Reports and featured on the cover of the journal. The novel family’s founding member is the protein Tlde1 (type VI L,D-transpeptidase effector 1), [...]