Issue # 254 _ April 2017

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Cover

The mechanisms of aging: Studies of living cells and organisms identify genetic and molecular phenomena associated with physical and mental decline

S&T Policy

Diffusion

Public Review

The preprints model, commonly used in the exact sciences, is gaining popularity in the biological and social sciences

Research & Development

Outliers

PINTEC data analysis indicates that cooperation between businesses and universities is only strong in certain sectors of the economy

Gender

The search for balance

A study comparing scientific output by women in a range of countries highlights Brazil among those leading the way

Funding

Risky questions

Private institute to invest up to R$18 million per year in innovative research in Brazil

Science

Daniel Kleppner

Daniel Kleppner: The continuing strength of atomic physics

Experiments by this American physicist laid the foundation for major discoveries about the behavior of atoms and technological advances like GPS

Physics

The behavior of blackouts

Mathematical models help us understand how successive failures cause blackouts in electrical networks

ASTRONOMY

Hard and lifeless

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

Cytology

The hanging gardens of cells

Cultures in 3D environments reveal unknown structures and broaden understanding of brain development

Zoology

Spines filled with poison

Gland at the end of hairs produces toxic secretion in stinging caterpillars

Paleontology

Animals of Paraná

Mammal and bird fossils indicate the existence of ancient, unknown fauna that lived in the region of Curitiba 40 million years ago

Technology

AGRICULTURE

Biological controls to combat citrus greening

Companies invest in small wasps produced in the lab to combat insects that spread diseases to orange groves

Livestock

Cattle genes

Knowledge of bovine genetics will likely help farmers select Nelore cattle with more tender meat

Humanities

URBAN GEOGRAPHY

A life within walls

Gated communities and shopping malls accentuate social and spatial separation in midsized cities

VISUAL ARTS

The omnipresence of images

Studies show how photography has molded our way of seeing the world

Literature

João Antônio’s journalism and fiction

Writer’s project to authentically portray lower-income citizens benefited from his journalistic involvement