Science

ECOLOGY

The Metamorphoses of the Atlantic Forest

Survey of 2,000 species shows a predominance of small animals and resistance to forest fragmentation

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PHYSICS

When vacuum is hot

Brazilian researchers propose an experiment to determine whether empty space can heat an accelerated object

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Geology

Vestiges of primitive Earth

The depths of the Earth may contain rigid blocks spanning thousands of kilometers

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Ecology

Deep sea alliances

Six species of cleaner fish from the Rocas Atoll obtain food by removing parasites from larger fish

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CHEMISTRY

Natural lighting

The chemical process underlying the bioluminescence of mushrooms is recyclable and flexible

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Epidemiology

Breaking boundaries

Real-time genome sequencing reconstructs the trajectory of Zika virus across the Americas

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MEDICINE

Reversing Wasting Syndrome

Physical exercise can halt cachexia, the inflammation that induces unwanted weight loss and worsens cancer and other diseases

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CARDIOLOGY

Replaced hearts

Fifty years after the first heart transplant, survival is up but donors remain scarce

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ECOLOGY

The corrosion of the Caatinga

Wood extraction and use of land for crops and pasture reduce biodiversity and transform the landscape of the badlands

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physics

Half a century with ALS

Stephen Hawking may have been the longest-living patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

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Physics

Hawking’s legacy

The British physicist showed black holes can emit radiation and shrink in size

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PHYSICS

Frozen light

Theoretical study proposes a new way of stopping light

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GEOSCIENCES

Scars of a cataclysm in Central Brazil

Rocks found in the states of Mato Grosso, Goiás, and São Paulo reveal earthquake and tsunami caused by a meteorite some 250 million years ago

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COSMOLOGY

The endless search

International researchers are constantly looking for lighter particles in the hope of finding dark matter

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PHYSICS

A novel filter

Intercommunicating pores in graphene oxide membranes help separate water from alcohol

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INTERVIEW

William Bialek: Between the living and the inanimate

Princeton researcher discusses the challenges of applying a quantitative approach to biological systems

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ECOLOGY

Between water and land

The tendency toward more torrential rains could change the course of rivers and wetlands in the Pantanal region

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INTERVIEW

Benedito Braga: A fundamental right

World Water Council President Benedito Braga discusses his expectations for this month's World Water Forum in Brasília

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ENVIRONMENT

Contamination beyond the mine

Areas of the Amazon flooded by dams can raise mercury levels in fish consumed by local residents

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EVOLUTION

Male or female? The mystery unfolds

Amazonian frog species has more sex chromosomes than any other vertebrate

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NEUROLOGY

Signs of Epilepsy

International study of brain scans suggests a link between the disease and cerebral atrophy

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PUBLIC HEALTH

Five years later

Study spanning 71 countries shows that survival rates for prostate cancer rose and pediatric cancer fell in Brazil

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ASTRONOMY

Hard and lifeless

Even though they resemble Earth, the crusts of some rocky exoplanets may be too rigid to be habitable

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Electronics Engineering 

Chip for particle collisions

Brazilian researchers develop and test a device to be installed in the Large Hadron Collider at Cern

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Physics

Quantum trickster

A Brazilian group controlled the heat generated by atomic nuclei

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Paleontology

Shelter for giants

Extinct for 10,000 years, ground sloths and giant armadillos may have built the largest paleoburrows ever discovered on Earth

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Neuroscience

Hunting circuits

Two neural pathways that originate in the brain’s amygdala control the aggressive behavior of predators

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Physiology

Weight across generations

Among rats, the effects of excessive or insufficient feeding can be transmitted to children and grandchildren

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physics

Devouring stars

Survey shows that Milky Way cannibalized eleven neighboring galaxies

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ASTROPHYSICS

Fireflies around Saturn

A Brazilian research team proposes a model to explain the origin of a tenuous ring around the second largest planet in the Solar System

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