Issue # 249 _ November 2016
Cover
- A more vulnerable Brazil in the 21st century
- Projections point to increased risk of natural disasters such as floods, landslides and extreme drought in the coming decades By Marcos Pivetta
- A risk map of the world
- With the exception of Japan, poor and developing countries are most vulnerable to natural disasters By Marcos Pivetta
S&T Policy
Training

The branches and roots of science’s family tree
Projects set out to trace the academic genealogy of Brazilian researchers
By Bruno de PierroRECOGNITION

Mission: To think about the future of science
Anthropologist who coordinates a project financed by FAPESP is appointed to the council that advises the U.S. government
By Fabrício MarquesPATENTS

An unusual patent champion
Brazilian universities redouble their efforts to transfer knowledge to society and engage in activities that businesses perform in other countries
By Fabrício MarquesScience
ECOLOGY

The harmful effects of illegal hunting
Prohibited in Brazil since the 1960s, hunting has reduced the population of several animal species and increased the risk of environmental imbalance
By Ricardo Zorzetto and André JuliãoBiochemistry

Before the first bite
Giant spider releases enzyme-rich juice on its prey to initiate digestion
By Rodrigo de Oliveira AndradeNEUROSCIENCE

Constant song
Neural mechanisms explain the vocal stability of songbirds
By Rodrigo de Oliveira Andrade and Maria GuimarãesGEOLOGY

The exposed depths of the Earth
Underwater mapping helps scientists tell the story of the unusual origin of the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago
By Igor ZolnerkevicPHYSICS

Patterns and transformations
Based on ideas recognized by the 2016 Nobel Prize for Physics, a Brazilian group proposes ways to alter the electrical and magnetic properties of materials
By Igor ZolnerkevicTechnology
PISCICULTURE

Tilapia’s turn
Studies on Brazil’s most abundant fish have resulted in a new variety, a vaccine and probiotics, in addition to genetic selection
By Marcos de OliveiraOphthalmology

Eye on the smartphone
Handheld devices that perform eye exams may facilitate remote diagnosis
By Evanildo da SilveiraHumanities
HISTORY

Black intellectuality during the Brazilian Empire
Before Abolition, publishers and scholars who were the descendants of slaves played an important social role
By Mauricio Puls