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Black carbon found in the Amazon River reveals recent forest burnings
Publicado em 20 de novembro de 2019
Besides swathes of destroyed vegetation, forest fires in Amazonia leave their imprint on the Amazon River and its tributaries. Incomplete burning of trees results in the production of black carbon, solid particles that enter the waters of the Amazon in the form of charcoal and soot and are transported to the Atlantic Ocean as dissolved organic carbon.
For the first time, an international group of researchers have quantified and characterized the black carbon flowing in the Amazon River. Their [...]
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Study measures impact of agriculture on diet of wild mammals
Publicado em 18 novembro 2019Margays (Leopardus wiedii), small wild cats living in forest areas fragmented by agriculture near Campinas and Botucatu in São Paulo State, Brazil, prey on animals inhabiting nearby sugarcane plantations, such as birds and small rodents. The diet of other mammals, such as the herbivorous Wild cavy (Cavia aperea) or the omnivorous Crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous), is also influenced by the region's agriculture. They live in areas of native vegetation but often have to seek food in [...]ver notícia -
Protecting native vegetation on rural properties yields Brazil USD 1.5 trillion per year
Publicado em 14 novembro 2019The 270 million hectares of native vegetation preserved by rural landowners (Legal Reserves and unprotected areas) yield Brazil the equivalent of some USD 1.5 trillion per year in ecosystem services, such as crop pollination, pest control, water security, rain production and soil quality maintenance. The calculation is part of a paper published in the journal Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation and endorsed by 407 scientist signatories, including 371 researchers affiliated with 79 [...]ver notícia -
Extinction of lowland tapir and white-lipped peccary would impair forest diversity
Publicado em 04 novembro 2019According to a team of researchers affiliated with São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Rio Claro, Brazil, the extinction of South America’s two largest herbivores – the lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) and the white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari) – would cause a significant decrease in forest diversity throughout the continent. The results of experiments that began ten years ago showed that plant communities are more diversified in areas where both species are [...]ver notícia -
Study aims at boosting antitumoral activity of compound extracted from an Amazon plant
Publicado em 31 outubro 2019Researchers in Brazil have prepared modified forms of the alkaloids produced by Uncaria guianensis, a woody vine native to the Amazon Rainforest. U. guianensis is a medicinal plant commonly known as cat's claw. The natural versions of alkaloids are widely used to combat tumors and inflammation, and they can help modulate the immune system. The scientists sought to design therapeutically more potent chemicals. The study was supported by São Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP and [...]ver notícia -
First South American insect that emits blue light is discovered
Publicado em 30 outubro 2019Brazilian researchers have discovered a new species of fungus gnat (Keroplatidae) whose larvae emit blue light. The small fly inhabits an Atlantic Rainforest reserve in São Paulo State. This is the first record of a blue bioluminescent species in the Neotropics. Many bioluminescent insects and fungi have been studied in the region, but all emit green, yellow or red light. The new species has been named Neoceroplatus betaryiensis and is described in an article in Scientific [...]ver notícia -
Study shows how climate change may affect environmental conservation areas
Publicado em 30 outubro 2019Brazil contains the largest expanse of tropical ecosystems within protected areas, but a significant proportion of these reserves may be vulnerable to the effects of ongoing global climate change, according to a study supported by São Paulo Research Foundation – FAPESP and published in the journal Conservation Biology. The study analyzed the vulnerability to climate change of 993 protected areas throughout Brazil, covering all areas of more than 50 square kilometers (km²), [...]ver notícia -
The use of sugarcane straw for bioenergy is an opportunity, but there are pros and cons
Publicado em 29 outubro 2019The use of sugarcane leaves, known as trash or straw, to produce electricity and second-generation (2G) ethanol has been advocated as a means of increasing bioenergy generation without expanding cropland acreage. However, a study conducted in Brazil and published in the journal BioEnergy Research shows that removing straw instead of leaving it on the ground after the harvest could double the amount of fertilizer required by Brazilian sugarcane plantations by 2050. The warning comes from [...]ver notícia -
Novel formulation of an injectable drug to treat joint inflammation acts for ten days
Publicado em 25 outubro 2019Thanks to a new injectable formula, Brazilian researchers have succeeded in enhancing the efficacy and prolonging the duration of action of a drug commonly used to treat joint inflammation. The innovation involves lipid nanoparticles containing a high concentration of the active principle, which is gradually released into the affected joint to sustain the desired effect for up to ten days without the need for repeated administration of the drug. In an article published in the journal [...]ver notícia -
Stingless bee species depend on a complex fungal community to survive
Publicado em 22 outubro 2019A study published in PLOS ONE shows that the larvae of the Brazilian stingless bee Scaptotrigona depilis depend on interactions between three different species of fungus to complete their development and reach adulthood. The complex process of symbiosis was studied by Brazilian and US researchers as part of a Thematic Project supported by São Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study was conducted under the auspices of the FAPESP [...]ver notícia