In a society that is increasingly reliant on data processing, supercomputers are becoming ever more important. Characterized by their high processing speed and large memory capacity, they can perform complex calculations in minimal amounts of time. They are used in various fields of research, including climate, astronomical, and pharmacological modeling, and to support many activities in different economic sectors, such as energy and health.
In addition to costing hundreds of millions of dollars, supercomputers also require enough infrastructure to support a small city: electrical substations, continuous cooling systems that use air conditioning, and thousands of liters of water. The physical size of such an instrument is extraordinary: they can weigh up to 40 tons and occupy hundreds of square meters.
In the 62nd edition of TOP500’s biannual ranking of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, Brazil was named 11th in performance share by country, with nine supercomputers — its best position to date. Of these nine, the top five are owned by Petrobras, of which the most powerful is Pégaso, ranked 45th in the world. It is, however, only 20% as powerful as the 10th placed computer. The most powerful Brazilian supercomputer used for scientific research is at the MCTI’s National Scientific Computing Laboratory (LNCC), but it does not appear on the list due to its computational architecture.
Brazil’s supercomputing infrastructure is growing, which should positively impact scientific research, according to this issue’s cover story. Both the LNCC and INPE, whose studies use intensive computational resources, plan to modernize their equipment.
The alarming news about cases of Alzheimer’s spread through transmission has received considerable media coverage. The fact that the finding was published in a renowned scientific journal has only made people more concerned. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia and almost all cases occur sporadically, caused by genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors.
In an enlightening report, biomedical sciences editor Ricardo Zorzetto contextualizes the discovery, highlighting that the patients in question had all undergone childhood treatment with a type of growth hormone that has not been used for almost 40 years. As well as offering reassurance, the article also describes a mechanism identified by other scientists that the disease uses to spread in the brain.
The theme of the essay section of last year’s national university entrance exam was the invisible nature of care work carried out by women in Brazil. One of the reference materials provided to help students write their essays was the cover story of Pesquisa FAPESP’s January 2021 issue on the same topic. The article described how the country’s rising life expectancy and changing family dynamics have increased the demand for care services.
In this month’s issue, reporter Christina Queiroz returns to the topic, with Brazil preparing its first national care policy. Research shows that there are 24 million professionals working in the care sector in the country, encompassing a variety of roles, such as domestic workers, nurses, cooks, and hairdressers.
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