Tag: Brazil
Saving sweet oranges: Catching plant diseases before they act
Dealing with pests and disease is often the bane of a farmer’s life. Anything that causes plant damage or death has huge economic implications and many plant diseases are highly transmissible. However, disease can only be treated when it is detected, and that often means waiting for symptoms to appear. Dr Maria Fatima das Graças Fernandes da Silva at the […]
Measuring ecosystem’s response to climate change through sun induced fluorescence (SIF) in the Caatinga bioregion
Climate change is increasing global temperatures and the regularity and severity of droughts. Researchers are continually looking for innovative ways of measuring these effects on global ecosystems. The detection of chlorophyll fluorescence is one way of examining plants’ responses to environmental changes. Dr Edgard Bontempo and his team of researchers from FUNCATE and INPE aim to detect fluorescence through remote […]
How different are you and your significant other from a spider couple?
There is a famous statement in pop culture that says ‘sex sells’. And it is true. Sex services, like prostitution and pornography, have long been recognised as some of the most lucrative businesses available. The fact that they achieve such a successful income, despite carrying a social view of being highly dishonourable and disrespectful, just highlights our imminent desire to […]
Improving the management of heart failure with telemedicine
Guaranteeing timely and good quality healthcare for all can be challenging. In countries like Denmark or Brazil, where health administration is fragmented, with federal authorities managing hospitals while municipalities manage primary care, the management of patients is very complicated. After developing a cross-sector collaboration model in Denmark, Dr Helena Dominguez, cardiologist in Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital and Associate Professor at the University […]
The soybean trap: Challenges and risks for Brazilian producers
The growth in the international soybean market has attracted thousands of new farmers as well as foreign capital investments. The highly connected and globalised food commodities market heats up this new agribusiness landscape making soybean producers vulnerable to financial risks whilst tying them into a cycle of investment and debt. Dr Ramon Bicudo and Professor Emilio F. Moran, both from […]
Earth’s magnetic field and its changes through time
Complex convection currents in the Earth’s core create a vast magnetic field around the Earth, protecting us from the charged solar particles that emanate from the Sun. However, the Earth’s magnetic field has not always been quite the same. Earth’s rocks provide a record of geomagnetic reversals and variations through time in the geomagnetic field. Dr Daniel Franco and his […]
Infectious bronchitis virus affects energy production
Professor Tereza Cristina Cardoso, São Paulo State University, is a qualified veterinarian and her research explores infectious diseases in animals. Her latest work investigates how infectious bronchitis virus affects energy production by macrophage cells. Her research demonstrates that this occurs through disruption of mitochondrial respiration processes, which may have implications for how virus infections in poultry are prevented and treated. […]
Microplastics pollution in the Pantanal
By now, we all recognise microplastics as a huge problem in our oceans. This awareness peaked when the threat became direct to humans, through the consumption of contaminated marine produce. Unfortunately, the situation is even bleaker than we realised. Dr Pierre Girard from the Federal University of Mato Grosso has discovered microplastics in the remote Brazilian Pantanal, a huge and […]
Technological leapfrogging the global energy crisis: How can changing the role of science in developing countries help with an oncoming climate catastrophe?
In 1975, the Brazilian government launched the National Alcohol Program (NAP) with the sole aim of relieving the country’s crushing dependence on fossil fuels with a move to cleaner ethyl-alcohol based fuels – and, thanks to researchers like Professor José Goldemberg, of the University of São Paulo, the program was an overwhelming success. Combining the country’s own natural resources with technological leapfrogging – […]