Issue # 307 _ September 2021

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Cover

Climate in the Anthropocene
New IPCC report shows that humans are driving global warming and subjecting the planet to more extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts, and heavy rainfall By
Boosted atmosphere
Studies indicate that almost 80% of 405 recent extreme events were more frequent or intense due to changes caused by humans By
Cities battle the climate crisis
Research in the human and social sciences is helping cities develop plans to adapt to the new reality of life on Earth By

 

Covid-19

Delta advances

The highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variant is breathing new life into the pandemic, leading governments to consider applying a third dose of the vaccine

By

COVID-19

Widespread lack of support

113,000 children have been orphaned in Brazil during the pandemic, challenging families to search for alternatives to prevent them from being placed into residential care

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Academic assessment

New quality metrics

Universities and funding agencies search for more comprehensive metrics to assess researchers

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Open access

The Sci-Hub effect

Study suggests articles downloaded from the pirate repository are cited more often

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Interview

Soraya Smaili: Bringing science closer to society

Soraya Smaili, a former dean at UNIFESP, discusses the goals of a new think tank devoted to developing policy proposals for higher education and science funding

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Soil science

Tracking crime

Soil sample analysis can aid investigations and help solve crimes

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Physiology

A vein under pressure

Following transplantation to the heart in surgeries to treat coronary artery disease, saphenous veins undergo drastic restructuring and can become clogged

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Physics/Chemistry

Free passage through the skin

Simulations indicate that applying an electric field stimulates the formation of "blisters" that turn the epidermis into a gateway for drugs to enter the body

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SPACE

Ready for lift-off

The Alcântara space base will conduct its first orbital launches in 2022, nearly 40 years after its creation

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Electricity

Heat energy from the sun

The first solar thermal energy projects are leaving the design stage in Brazil

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Archaeology

The Koriabo puzzle

A new book discusses evidence that one pre-Columbian ceramic style was common to indigenous peoples from the Caribbean to the lower Amazon Basin

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Literature

A radical romantic

Academic studies give new perspectives on Álvares de Azevedo’s work for the 190th anniversary of his birth

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