Notes

PALEONTOLOGY

Armed and Armored

A new species of armored dinosaur with a very peculiar tail has been described by Chilean paleontologists

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BIODIVERSITY

Pantanal wildfires killed 17 million animals

The unprecedented number of wildfires in the Pantanal in 2020 left an extensive trail of destruction, taking the lives of nearly 17 million animals

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Covid-19

Increasing anxiety and depression

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to 129.4 million new cases of anxiety and depression worldwide

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Covid-19

Vaccines generate more consistent immune response

The immune response to the novel coronavirus provided by vaccines is more consistent than that triggered by natural infection with SARS-CoV-2

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Covid-19

Coronavirus infects the ear

As well as causing a reduced sense of taste and smell, the novel coronavirus can infect inner ear cells, leading to hearing loss and balance problems

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Covid-19

New COVID-19 drug

An antiviral pill developed by pharmaceutical company Pfizer reduced the risk of death and hospitalization in people recently diagnosed with Covid-19 by 89% compared to a placebo

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COVID-19

Two vaccines safe for children

The CoronaVac vaccine, produced in Brazil by the Butantan Institute, is safe for children and adolescents, with no major side effects

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Environment

Colorado River losing water

Water availability for ecosystems and human use is under threat in the Colorado River basin in the southwestern USA

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Genetics

The tambaqui genome

A group of researchers has sequenced and analyzed the genome of the second largest fish in the Amazon

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Pharmacology

University of Oxford in Brazil

The Brazilian Ministry of Health signed a term of commitment with the University of Oxford, UK, to establish a clinical research and development center in Rio de Janeiro for the British institution’s drugs and vaccines

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History

From Tupi to Portuguese

Six letters written in ancient Tupi by indigenous peoples during the Brazilian colonial period have finally been transcribed and translated into Portuguese

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Chemistry

Paint made of mercury and blood

A 1,000-year-old gold mask that belonged to a leader of the Sicán culture was painted with mineral pigment, human blood, and egg white

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Nutrition

Worst diet for the body and the environment

Consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed foods has fallen over the last 30 years

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Biodiversity

Ants with women’s names

Ants with women's names

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ONMC

Scientists renounce national honor

In an open letter, 21 scientists awarded this year’s National Order of Scientific Merit renounced the honor

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Geology

Exoplanets with exotic rocks

The rocky planets orbiting stars outside our Solar System may have a very different chemical composition to Earth

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Biodiversity

The great ocean fertilizers

Whales are the largest living beings on the planet and play an important role in recycling ocean nutrients

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COVID-19

Vaccination in decline

The COVID-19 vaccination pace has been decreasing worldwide

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Covid-19

A promising antiviral

Molnupiravir reduced COVID-19’s hospitalization and death rate by nearly half in a phase 3 clinical trial of people with mild to moderate infections

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Covid-19

Preventing new waves without lockdowns

A group of researchers decided to study how the virus could be kept under control without the need for repeated lockdowns

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Nobel Prize

Everything as before

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences decided not to award this year’s Nobel Prize to the development of mRNA-based vaccines

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Zoology

Protozoan fossil in Brazilian amber

Researchers at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) have described a new extinct species of protozoan: Palaeohypothrix bahiensis

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biodiversity

South America’s Endangered Oases

With only 4% of their area protected, fog oases are threatened by urbanization, mining, increased air pollution, and off-road trails

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Anthropology

Recognition for Indigenous Scholar

Maria Manuela Ligeti Carneiro da Cunha was awarded the Almirante Álvaro Alberto Prize for Science and Technology in the Human and Social Sciences, Languages, and Arts category

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distinction in the scientific community

New crop of CNPq researchers emeriti

Ten researchers were awarded the title of researcher emeritus by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)

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Climate Change

The Amazon could be an inhospitable savanna by 2100

The Amazon could be an inhospitable savanna by 2100

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Chemistry

The Lavoisiers, transformed

Researchers discovered important differences in the original composition of the iconic portrait of Antoine Lavoisier and his wife

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Archaeology

Humans in the Americas 23,000 years ago

Fossilized footprints offer some of the most important evidence that humans first occupied North America much longer ago than has long been believed

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COVID-19

Still too soon for booster doses

An international group of scientists argued against the idea of giving the majority of the population COVID-19 vaccine booster doses

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Covid-19

Less working remotely

Researchers are trying to estimate the impacts on employee communication and the dynamics of collaboration

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