Issue # 199 _ September 2012
Cover
- An inconvenient pinch of magic
- Brazilian researchers discover alchemy powder in an archive at the Royal Society, the seat of scientific revolution By Carlos Haag
- A tradition for bringing together knowledge
- The vice-president of the Royal Society, Martyn Poliakoff, praises Brazilian scientists and FAPESP, but regrets the academics` lack of knowledge of English By Carlos Haag
S&T Policy
Investment

One country, two models
State expenditure on research and development reveals the gap between São Paulo and other states in Brazil
By Fabrício MarquesClimate Change

Calculated risk
Workshop on weather extremes exposes the challenge of converting scientific information into disaster prevention
By Fabrício MarquesAdministrative management
Time for research
Scientists discuss how to cut the weight of bureaucracy
Science
Fragile skin

Struggling with the sun
Researchers, doctors and residents of a village get together to control a hereditary disorder aggravated by exposure to daylight
By Carlos FioravantiNeurological development

On satiation and other pleasures
Cells at the base of the brain control hunger and activate the neural reward mechanisms
By Francisco BicudoWild animals

The cougar's paths
Felines are able to move around in regions occupied by human beings, but highways are an obstacle
By Maria GuimarãesPrecambrian Fauna

Life protected by armor
The Northern Region of Paraguay might have the highest diversity of fossils of the earliest animals with skeletons
By Carlos FioravantiGlobal warming

Cleaner sugarcane fields
Emissions of the most hazardous greenhouse gas by sugarcane plantations are lower than previously estimated
By Yuri VasconcelosNew materials

The value of impurities
Brazilians discover new family of materials that conduct electricity without losing energy
By Igor ZolnerkevicNobel

Meeting of Nobel laureates
City on Lake Constance in Germany brings together laureates to inspire new generations of scientists
By Marcos PivettaTechnology
disease control

The transformation of insects
A transgenic mosquito and an irradiated mosquito are the new anti-dengue fever weapons
By Evanildo da SilveiraElectric power

A time for batteries
Lithium-based equipment developed in São Paulo to drive vans
By Marcos de OliveiraOrganic electronics

Flexible illumination
New kinds of organic lamps and photovoltaic cells are being developed at a research center in the State of Minas Gerais
By Sergio KaliliHumanities
Urban Planning

Vocation for greatness and for problems
Rapidly adopted globalization in São Paulo has degraded the city’s urban and social characteristics
By Carlos Haag