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Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) in Brazil have developed a sustainable sensor that can be placed directly on the surface of a vegetable or fruit to detect the presence of pesticides. Known for this reason as “plant-wearable,” it is made of cellulose acetate, a material derived from wood pulp. The device has the potential to help assure food safety in a world that increasingly suffers from a shortage of food [...]

The functioning of certain regions of a few genes in cetaceans (whales, porpoises and dolphins) may explain why the Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) can reach lengths of up to 30 meters—almost 10 m more than a bus—while the Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is 4 m long at most. It can also help toward the development of new cancer treatments. This is the subject of an article published in the journal BMC Ecology and Evolution by a group of researchers at the State [...]

Illustrations of scientific experiments play a fundamental role in both science education and the dissemination of scientific knowledge to the general public. Confirming the adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” these depictions of famous experiments remain in the minds of those who study them and become definitive versions of the scientific process. Archimedes in the bath discovering the law of buoyancy; Newton refracting sunlight with a prism and defining the [...]

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by inflammation and narrowing of the airways, leading to difficulty breathing. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. Asthma can be triggered by a variety of factors, including allergens, exercise, stress, and respiratory infections.   Brazilian scientists carried out preclinical trials on mice to determine the optimal dose and method of administration. The findings indicate that high daily [...]

A study published in the journal Cosmetics found that adding rosmarinic acid, a natural antioxidant, to sunscreen alongside conventional UV filters ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (UVB protection) and avobenzone (UVA protection) increased the photoprotective efficacy of the sunscreen. By incorporating rosmarinic acid at just 0.1%, the sunscreen’s performance improved without increasing the levels of active principles, reducing the amount of sunscreen needed for protection and the volume of [...]

Proven to protect against a wide array of diseases, exercise may be the most powerful anti-aging intervention known to science. However, while physical activity can improve health during aging, its beneficial effects inevitably decline. The cellular mechanisms underlying the relationship among exercise, fitness and aging remain poorly understood. In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center investigated the role of [...]

One potential application: Enhancing the sensitivity of atomic magnetometers used to measure the alpha waves emitted by the human brain. Scientists are increasingly seeking to discover more about quantum entanglement, which occurs when two or more systems are created or interact in such a manner that the quantum states of some cannot be described independently of the quantum states of the others. The systems are correlated, even when they are separated by a large distance. Interest in [...]

Their research is part basic science, investigating the bacterium's resilience in a hostile environment – coffee leaves – and part biotech, seeing whether the bacterium inhibits the development of a pathogen that causes severe losses to coffee growers. A study supported by FAPESP analyzed the potential of a bacterium for biological control of the fungus Hemileia vastatrix, which causes coffee rust, a major challenge for Brazilian coffee growers. An article on the study is [...]

If you look at a net full of pacus (Piaractus mesopotamicus), you cannot distinguish with the naked eye which individuals will have descendants with higher filet yield or faster weight gain. Their growth can be monitored with a tape measure, and they can be weighed on a scale. The data can be tabulated and compared. But to breed an entire population with the right characteristics, some 2,000 fish per generation must be measured and weighed, and the task can take days. In Brazil, [...]