Researchers in Brazil compared leaf damage caused by insects and pathogens in areas with and without the presence of mammals such as tapirs, deer and peccaries. Absence of the animals led to loss of microorganisms that cause leaf disease, potentially affecting long-term eco-evolutionary processes and reducing biodiversity in tropical forests.

The researchers showed that pressure has intensified since the 2018 announcement of a plan to create a development zone where the states of Amazonas, Acre and Rondônia meet.

An article published by a FAPESP-supported research center highlights the link between mitochondrial calcium transport and autophagy, the process whereby cells break down and reuse some of their own components.

The foods, found in the homes of Brazilian families participating in the research, were stored for future consumption. The study is the first in Brazil to use biomarkers to characterize the risk associated with mycotoxins in the diet.

Research introduces new methodology to describe the amount of the mineral, which is important in the growth cycle of vegetation and can affect the forest’s response to climate change.

A study of 500 households in Altamira, a city near the dam in Pará state, showed that 61% experienced food insecurity.

The drug accumulates not only in water, but also in sediments and marine organisms, and poses a high ecological risk, said Camilo Seabra, a professor at the Federal University of São Paulo, during FAPESP Week Illinois.

Aquaculture is one of the main productive sectors in Ecuador and one of the fastest growing worldwide, which aims to meet the increasing demand for food, in addition to being a sustainable source of animal protein for the human diet. Shrimp is the main organism cultivated in the country, which represents more than 95% of the total aquaculture. Mollusk farming represents around 14.5 % of aquaculture production worldwide, being an important contribution to this sector. 

Brazilian scientists conducted the first research project to evaluate the immunity induced in an actual group of vaccinated subjects. Their findings are reported in the Journal of Medical Virology.