Melatonin Produced in the Lungs Prevents COVID-19 Infection
The hormone acts as a barrier against SARS-CoV-2, blocking the expression of genes that encode proteins in cells serving as viral entry points, according to…
Agência FAPESP
Food Replicator: Researchers Create Ingredients to Produce Food by 3D Printing
Food engineers in Brazil and France developed gels based on modified starch for use as “ink” to make foods and novel materials by additive manufacturing….
Two Anti-inflammatory Medications Shown to Accelerate Recovery From COVID-19
Monoclonal antibody tested by researchers at University of São Paulo and experimental drug given to patients in Italy by University of Pennsylvania research group promoted…
Fractal Signatures of COVID-19 Transmission Could Reduce Socio-Economic Impact of Lockdowns
Model developed by Brazilian researchers predicts spatial and temporal evolution of epidemic diseases and can help plan more effective social isolation programs with less socio-economic…
Fang’tastic: Venom Glands Similar to Those of Snakes Found for First Time in Amphibians
Brazilian researchers discover that caecilians, limbless amphibians resembling worms or snakes that emerged some 150 million years before the latter, can probably inject venom…
Unraveling the Mystery of Insect Bioluminescent Systems
Researchers isolated molecules present in the larvae of a blue light-emitting fungus gnat that inhabits the Appalachians; the study will help elucidate human diseases and…
Universal Mechanism for Ejection of Matter by Black Holes Proposed
The process occurs in active-core nuclei. A molecular gas cloud that accumulates in the central region is blown away by radiation from the black hole’s…
Flat Lens a Thousand Times Thinner Than a Human Hair Offers a Wide Field of View for Smartphone Cameras
The lens can be used to produce high-resolution images with a wide field of view. It can serve as a camera lens in smartphones and…
Low-Cost Second-Generation Ethanol Production Powered by Genetically Engineered Enzyme Cocktail
Brazilian researchers used genetic engineering to develop a low-cost platform for the production of enzymes that break down sugarcane trash and bagasse for conversion into…
Astronomers Identify Asteroids of Interstellar Origin Inhabiting Our Solar System
A study conducted by scientists at São Paulo State University’s Institute of Geosciences and Exact Sciences (IGCE-UNESP) in Rio Claro, Brazil, has identified 19 asteroids…
Solar System’s Turbulent Formation Quickly Gave Way to Current Planetary Configuration
Model developed by Brazilian researchers shows chaotic phase that placed objects in current orbits beginning within first 100 million years after formation of giant planets….
Toxin From Rattlesnake Venom Formulated to Treat Chronic Pain
Researchers Butantan Institute succeeded in reducing the toxicity and potentiating the analgesic effect of crotoxin by encapsulating it in nanostructured silica — the results of…
Asteroid Collisions: Physics of Fission Clusters and Collisional Families
Scientists have always thought about fission clusters as entirely distinct from collisional families. Now a study conducted by researchers affiliated with UNESP has shown that…
Black Carbon Found in the Amazon River – Most From Recent Forest Burnings
International study quantified and characterized charcoal and soot produced by incomplete burning of trees and transported by river to the Atlantic. Besides swathes of destroyed…
Anomalous Behavior Found in Supercooled Water at Critical Point Far Below 0 °C
The theoretical model proposed by Brazilian researchers can be applied to any system in which two energy scales coexist. Water can remain liquid at temperatures…
Bizarre Species of Stingless Bees Depend on a Complex Fungal Community to Survive
A report published in PLOS ONE describes key roles of various microorganisms in the development of the larvae of Scaptotrigona depilis. Researchers warn that this…
Biologists Discover Six New Species of Silky Anteaters in Brazil
This is a story that begins in 1758 with the publication of the tenth edition of Systema Naturae, the magnum opus of Swedish naturalist Linnaeus…
New Hydrothermal Model Evaluates the Possibility of Life on Jupiter’s Moon Europa
Jupiter’s icy moon Europa is a major target of astrobiology research in light of the possibility that it offers a habitable environment in the Solar…