Issue # 201 _ November 2012

S&T Policy

Open Access 

Knowledge freely-distributed

A UK initiative will show how much of the world’s scientific knowledge can be made available on the Internet

Globalization

High level partnerships

Pilot program draws scientists from abroad to form new research groups in São Paulo

Science

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

The health of the bay

Project maps sources of pollutants and marine currents in Todos os Santos Bay

Paleontology

Nest of a “flamingrebe”

18-million-year-old fossilized bird eggs and bones support relationship between flamingos and grebes

Oncology

Striking a Blow Against Cancer

Trapping the calcium in a compartment in the cell’s nucleus makes the tumor more vulnerable to radiation therapy

ONCOLOGY

Antitumor protein

A molecule found in the salivary gland of the star tick fights cancer cells and preserves healthy ones

NEUROLOGY

Memory’s gatekeeper

Special neuron controls the arrival of information from the environment to the brain’s memory formation center

Biophysics

Molecular cleansing

Study reveals the atomic structure of proteins that eliminate excess hemoglobin from the blood

Fluid Dynamics 

Tension Under Control

A technique that stabilizes pressure at the interface between oil and water could facilitate oil extraction

Complex Networks 

The effects of simultaneity

Eliminating synchronism in networks could improve crowd control and control brain disorders

Technology

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Multinational partnerships

Auto parts companies established in Brazil generate solutions together with the head office and R&D centers in other countries

Corporate research

Flights of the Future

Embraer is investing in partnerships to develop biofuels and cabin innovations

Pharmaceutical industry 

Medicine in nanoscale

Biolab uses nanotechnology to produce anesthetic and a baldness remedy

Humanities

DIPLOMACY

The undesirables

Immigration policy under the Estado Novo dictatorship concealed a project to “whiten” Brazil

Literature

The Sentimental Memoirs of the Angel of Death

Josef Mengele’s autobiography reveals a lack of empathy for the victims and guilt for the crimes