Issue # 240 _ February 2016

S&T Policy

Congress

Updated framework

Law introduces new incentives for innovation, but vetoes are criticized

Energy

Towards the development of natural gas

FAPESP and the BG Group open a research center in São Paulo

COOPERATION

Ranchers and environmentalists united

Cattle ranching on native grasslands—vegetation typical of southern Brazil—balances interests of both parties

Science

GENETICS

A tool to edit DNA

A system copied from bacteria, CRISPR-Cas9 may catalyze discoveries in biology and medicine, but it raises ethical concerns

HEALTH

The spread of Zika

Sequencing confirms that the variety in circulation in Brazil came from Polynesia and is projected to spread to other countries

Biodiversity

The white and black fungi of the Atacama

Yeasts in the Chilean desert exhibit resistance to ultraviolet radiation levels as high as those found on Mars

Biogeography

When the ocean was forest

The Atlantic Forest may have extended outward onto the continental shelf during the Ice Age

METEOROLOGY

The hidden seeds of rain

Researchers find the missing particles that explain how clouds form in the Amazon

CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS

Searching for the magic numbers

Produced artificially, four chemical elements are now part of the periodic table; the search for other, more stable elements continues

Technology

NANOGEOSCIENCE

More productive oil wells

Studies indicate that silica nanoparticles can increase the volume of oil and gas extracted from reservoirs

Sugar and Alcohol Industry

Recycled waste

Fusel oil and CO₂ generated during ethanol manufacturing can be used to produce chemicals for industrial use

PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES

The cosmetic from the Caatinga scrubland

A Swiss-Brazilian study shows that umbu, a fruit prevalent in the northeastern scrublands, could form the basis for an anti-aging skin cream

BIOTECHNOLOGY

Silver microproducer

Fungus is used to produce metallic nanoparticles that can be employed as antibacterial substances

Humanities

Culture

Globalization in the 19^th century

Project reveals an intense circulation of cultural goods, especially printed matter, among France, England, Portugal and Brazil

Education

Acquisition of subject knowledge ranks first

Study detects substantial gains in subject knowledge and slight gains in general knowledge among seniors in 19 undergraduate programs

History

The fight for abolition

Study reconstructs the role of the abolitionist movement as a social force that led to the freeing of slaves