Fewer monarch butterflies in Mexico and important paleontological finds in Chile and Uruguay.

MEXICO There has been a reduction in the number of monarch butterflies migrating this year from the U.S. and Canada to Mexico and also a 10-day delay in their arrival to Michoacán. This is due to unusually wet weather and a reduction of the weed called “algodoncillo” where the species lays its eggs. Using corals … Continue reading Fewer monarch butterflies in Mexico and important paleontological finds in Chile and Uruguay.

Why it’s worth saving the Amazon rainforest: A market-based solution

How investing in Ecuador’s Amazon could be a boon for the pharmaceutical industry while accelerating the country’s scientific and technological growth.   Imagine this: A country gushing with biodiversity delays oil exploitation in exchange for $3.6 billion from the international community. Ecuador had that idea with the Yasuni-ITT initiative, but it was halted this year … Continue reading Why it’s worth saving the Amazon rainforest: A market-based solution

Peru’s disappearing glaciers, a state of emergency in Brazil due to a caterpillar, and Rio de Janeiro’s sewage problems.

BRAZIL Brazil has declared a state of emergency in Mato Grosso, its main crop growing state, due to an infestation from an invasive caterpillar in corn, soy and cotton crops. Last summer, the pests caused $4.7 billion in damage. [inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=”via @LatAmSci”]Rio de Janeiro is having sewage problems at the site of its … Continue reading Peru’s disappearing glaciers, a state of emergency in Brazil due to a caterpillar, and Rio de Janeiro’s sewage problems.

Studying leishmaniasis ‘on the cloud’ in Brazil, top Argentine scientists awarded, and the collapse of Venezuela’s healthcare system.

ARGENTINA Scientists from Rosario, Argentina are using scanning electron microscopy to detect gunpowder residue to help police fight crime. Rosario is one of Argentina’s major scientific and technological centers. The Argentine geologist Victor Ramos won the 2013 Mexican Science and Technology Prize for his studies on the formation of the Andes. The physicist Juan Martin … Continue reading Studying leishmaniasis ‘on the cloud’ in Brazil, top Argentine scientists awarded, and the collapse of Venezuela’s healthcare system.

Argentinosaurus walks, 1.5 million-year-old Antarctic climate data, and scientists find the first poisonous crustaceans.

ANTARCTICA Certain regions of Antarctica could be storing climate data dating back to more than 1.5 million years, according to recently published Swiss and German scientists. Ice cores have small air bubbles and thus function as an “archive ” of the composition of the atmosphere of the time they were formed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1OP-fKcjHc ARGENTINA Scientists at INTA … Continue reading Argentinosaurus walks, 1.5 million-year-old Antarctic climate data, and scientists find the first poisonous crustaceans.