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Science with impact

The number of Brazilians among the most cited researchers increased in 2020

Silvio Meira: A hopeful realist

Creator of one of the most important ecosystems of innovation in the country, the computer scientist discusses the emergence of the digital era in Brazil

An expanding market

In Latin America, remunerated caregiving work accounts for 16% of jobs, with 47 million people working in the area

The economics of caregiving

Increase in population life expectancy and new family arrangements produce higher demand for caregivers and complicate government decision-making

The mutation risk

New strains of SARS-Cov-2, such as the one identified in the United Kingdom in December, could make the pathogen more transmissible and virulent

The era of genetic vaccines

The vaccines from BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna result from historical investments in messenger RNA technology leading to the creation of new products

Distribution challenges

Governments need to work with pharmaceutical and logistics companies to overcome obstacles to start the SARS-CoV-2 immunization campaign

Approval strategy

Amid uncertainty, São Paulo announces state vaccination plan

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

Butantan develops serum for the novel coronavirus

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

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

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

Vaccines and sharks

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

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

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

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

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

The weight of human production

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

Successful return

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

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

Anti-predator chemical shield

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

Underground dispute

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

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

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

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.

Artificial intelligence in peer review

Software identifies potential conflicts of interest between the authors of an article and the researchers reviewing it

Take care

Underwater stars

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

The many perspectives of physics

Brazilian scientist from São Paulo, head of a research group at Utrecht University, recognized by the European Physical Society

Freelance scientists

Websites connect companies with researchers offering freelance services