Redação

COVID-19

Lockdown and the city air

The strict social distancing measures adopted by governments to try to contain the spread of the pandemic have improved air quality in some of the world's major cities

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Biodiversity

Damage beyond deforestation

Fragments of Atlantic Forest have already lost 23–42% of their biodiversity and forest carbon stocks

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Astronomy

A galaxy destined to fade

Astronomers observed a galaxy ejecting immense quantities of cold gas, enough to form 10,000 new stars the size of the Sun every year

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Physics

Plasma can desalinate seawater

Experiments demonstrated for the first time the possibility of using plasma to accelerate the formation and precipitation of salt crystals from seawater

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Public policies

Scientists return to key posts in US government

Joe Biden, the new president of the USA, nominated geneticist Eric Lander as chief science advisor and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policies

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Neuroscience

Brains shrink to save energy

In adverse conditions, such as when it is cold or food is scarce, the brain of some rodents shrinks in size, helping to conserve energy

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Environment

Lakes to lose ice cover by 2100

Some 5,700 lakes in the northern hemisphere are expected to lose their ice cover during the winter by the end of the century

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Archaeology

The oldest art

A scene portraying pigs native to Indonesia could be the oldest figurative painting attributed to modern humans ever found.

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Good practices

Recognizing diversity in research

Cell Press has adopted an innovative policy to encourage diversity and inclusion in scientific research

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Good practices

Rewards for publishing lead to distortions in South Africa

A survey of 967 researchers from South Africa arrived at an ambiguous conclusion

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Photolab

The phoenix tree

Like the mythical bird that rises from the ashes, the andira tree sprouts from the ground after wildfires in the Cerrado

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Video

How drones chart forest biodiversity

Unmanned aerial vehicles are used to monitor tropical forests in a speedy, efficient and detail-rich manner | 4'34

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COVID-19

First cases of reinfection confirmed in Brazil

On December 9, Brazil’s health authorities officially confirmed the country’s first proven reinfection by SARS-CoV-2

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COVID-19

Butantan develops serum for the novel coronavirus

The Butantan Institute has completed development of a serum to combat SARS-CoV-2

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COVID-19

Unequal access

Even before efficacy data for the vaccine candidates was released, it was clear that there will not be enough supply to immunize the entire global population before the end of next year

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COVID-19

Australia gives up on vaccine candidate

A vaccine being developed by the University of Queensland and biotechnology company CSL, both from Australia, is the first of more than 200 candidates to be discarded

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COVID-19

Vaccines and sharks

A compound extracted from the livers of sharks is used in five coronavirus vaccine candidates

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Zoology

Sound absorbing wings

Microscopic structures on the scaled wings of two moth species are able to absorb many of the ultrasound waves emitted by bats

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Notes

Ten people who made a difference in 2020

In December, the journal Nature published its traditional annual list of 10 science personalities who deserved recognition in 2020

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Medicine

Microneedles to treat cancer

A dressing made up of hundreds of microscopic needles that dissolve in the body promises to improve skin cancer treatment with photodynamic therapy

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Astronomy

Space 1.6 million years from now

Using new data astronomers have predicted the movement of the 300,000 stars within 326 light-years of the Sun over the next 1.6 million years

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Anthropogenic mass

The weight of human production

Asphalt and concrete make up most of the mass produced by humans

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Hayabusa2

Successful return

The Japanese space mission has successfully collected samples from the asteroid Ryugu and brought them safely back to Earth

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Paleontology

The oldest and largest blind snake

Paleontologists from the University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto campus, have identified the world’s largest and oldest blind snake

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Biochemistry

Anti-predator chemical shield

Seemingly harmless at first glance, the African maned rat (Lophiomys imhausi) carries a lethal weapon in its coat

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Biology

Underground dispute

A team of researchers from the USA, Spain, and Brazil have explained the growth behavior of plant roots

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Data

Engineering courses: fall in the number of new and graduating students

Number of new students fell by 17% between 2018 and 2019 to 39% below its peak in 2014

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Good practices

Frustrated ambitions

A group of researchers from the Netherlands has been working on a large multidisciplinary survey on scientific integrity at Dutch universities and research institutions

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Good practices

1951 paper on homosexuality retracted

The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease has announced the retraction of a scientific article published almost 70 years ago.

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Photolab

Underwater stars

When disturbed by a physical bump or a beam of light, the tunicates Pyrosoma atlanticum emit a turquoise light

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