Salvator merianae, a giant tegu lizard endemic to South America, regulates its own body temperature during the mating season without relying on external heat and without shivering. Experiments conducted by researchers at São Paulo State University pointed to rising levels and activity of mitochondria in skeletal muscle as the basis for this endothermic ability.
The Sixth FAPESP 2024 Lecture brought to São Paulo from Guinea-Bissau the intellectual Miguel de Barros to speak about “Climate change, energy transition and food sovereignty in Africa: challenges and alternatives”.
Center for Research in Mathematical Sciences Applied to Industry
Software based on statistical models detects sporting talent and allows athletes’ performance to be monitored. The tool was developed with the support of FAPESP.
Center for Research on Redox Processes in Biomedicine
Alicia Kowaltowski, a member of the Research Center for Redox Processes in Biomedicine, is one of five researchers in the world to win the 2024 edition of the For Women in Science International Awards.
Researchers at the State University of Campinas and collaborators analyzed data from 82 areas of the Brazilian savanna biome located in five states and the Federal District. The results showed that recovering the biome’s extraordinary diversity requires a combination of several restoration techniques as well as conservation of what has not yet been destroyed.
According to a study published in Scientific Reports, a novel strain of the fungus created at the University of São Paulo was found to be capable of boosting production of cellulosic ethanol by as much as 60% without requiring an increase in sugarcane acreage.
Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) and colleagues in other countries conducted a study showing that strigolactones – substances hitherto associated only with plant development – can directly influence flowering and fruiting.
Mice that did not produce interleukin 22 binding protein (IL-22BP) had stronger defenses, according to an article published in PNAS. Understanding the protein’s role in intestinal health can pave the way to novel therapeutic strategies.
The novel compound was developed in the lab but can be produced with technology already used by the industry, facilitating scale-up. It fixes phosphorus in the soil for future crop cycles and requires fewer applications. The researchers are seeking partners to mass-produce it for use in large-scale experiments.
Researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo determined for the first time the vertical limits of the subtropical ocean region off the South American coast. They found that the upper limit of the mesotrophic zone, previously assumed to be 30 meters below the surface, was in fact in much shallower waters.
The group uses advanced technology to map sites where vestiges of the activities of ancient populations have been preserved but risk being destroyed by the advance of deforestation, wildcat mining and climate change.
Center for Research on Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling
Brazilian researchers innovated by stimulating tumor cells so much that they became stressed and could survive only by behaving like healthy cells. The results of the study were so promising that the researchers plan to hold clinical trials with patients, to be conducted in the Netherlands before the end of 2024.
Lack of a method to classify forest succession stages in the applicable legislation allows for destruction of forest areas that provide important ecosystem services. The authors propose changes to make measurements more accurate and eliminate a step in permit applications that is ineffective and costly for landowners.
A study involving 302 volunteers showed that although the damage caused by SARS-CoV-2 was most intense among those who had severe COVID-19, some exhibited memory loss and attention deficit more than 18 months after being infected, even though they had not needed to be hospitalized.
Scheduled to start operating in 2028 at the Brazilian Center for Research on Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas (São Paulo state), the lab will enable researchers for the first time in Latin America to study viruses classified as class 4, the highest category of biological risk.
