Science news out of Latin America
Hunter fined in Argentina for killing endangered marsh deer, loss of microbial diversity in the Amazon, and Nicaragua’s San Cristobal volcano forces evacuations ARGENTINA A hunter has been fined close to $10,000 for killing a marsh deer in northern Argentina. The deer—which is South America’s largest—was shot in Esteros del Ibera, a wetlands in the … Continue reading Thursday December 27
Climate change is affecting Colombian coffee, Brazil struggles with biofuels, and how penguins forage in Tierra del Fuego. ARGENTINA Argentine scientists are studying foraging behavior of Magellanic penguins in the Beagle Channel off the southern tip of Tierra del Fuego. The birds seem to forage in three stages: for the first and third the penguins … Continue reading Thursday November 29
Fossils of giant penguin found in Antarctica, fighting citrus greening disease in Brazil, Mexico and U.S. sign water-sharing deal for Colorado River ARGENTINA Argentine scientists have found fossils of a giant penguin in Antarctica. At two meters tall, the researchers estimate that the species is the largest ever found. The fossils date back 34 million … Continue reading Thursday November 22
A new bee species found in horse dung in Patagonia, making ceviche to save coral reefs, and training locals in conservation in Bolivia. ARGENTINA A newly discovered bee in Patagonia is the first bee known to nest in dung. Found in horse dung on the Patagonian steppe, the Trichothurgus bolithophilus bees are a primitive species … Continue reading Thursday November 1
Scientists study monarch butterflies in Mexico, Brazil has lost 80% of its northern coral reefs, and study finds cholera in Haiti came from Nepal. ARGENTINA Yesterday’s TEDxRiodelaPlata conference in Buenos Aires highlighted the work of several scientists, physicians, and engineers from Argentina and around the world. One highlight: Miguel San Martin, an Argentine aeronautical engineer … Continue reading Thursday October 25
Chile’s ALMA telescope makes unexpected discovery, Mexico to launch a satellite, and a protest suspends construction of Brazil’s Belo Monte dam project BRAZIL Brazil’s Belo Monte hydroelectric project has been put on hold thanks to a new protest by indigenous activists and fishermen who interrupted construction by taking control of trucks and other vehicles, according … Continue reading Thursday October 11
Ecuador dispatches scientific cruise to the Galapagos, genetically-modified mosquitoes combat dengue in Brazil, and Chile develops earthquake-resistant technology BRAZIL Genetically-modified mosquitoes released in Brazil have reduced the population of dengue-carrying mosquitoes in the region by 90%, according to the Brazilian science ministry. Another trial in the Cayman Islands have reduced dengue-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the … Continue reading Thursday September 27
Archaeologists have found an Inca tomb in Machu Picchu, humpback whale sightings up off the coast of Brazil, and Google to open a data center in Chile. ARGENTINA Argentine scientists have remeasured the elevation of Aconcagua mountain in the Andes. The “ceiling of the Americas” in Argentina close to its border with Chile, now stands … Continue reading Thursday September 6
Argentina deals with whale-hungry seagulls, work resumes at Brazil’s $13 billion Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, and a 1,200-year-old Mayan theater found in Mexico. ARGENTINA A booming gull population in Patagonia is causing strange foraging behavior in the birds. The gulls have been attacking and feeding on southern right whales off the coast of Chubut province … Continue reading Thursday August 30
Cropdusters found guilty of illegal spraying near Cordoba, Argentina, Ecuador’s Tungurahua volcano spews lava and ash, and Chile to open up lithium mining. ARGENTINA UPDATE: In a landmark trial, a farmer and a pilot have been convicted of illegally cropdusting too close to a neighborhood in Cordoba, Argentina. This is the first time in Latin … Continue reading Thursday August 23
Brazil’s Atlantic forests are losing mammal species, Argentine heart patients prescribed tango classes, and singing mice in Costa Rica may yield clues to human speech. ARGENTINA Patients in Buenos Aires recovering from heart surgery are being prescribed tango classes as part of their physical therapy. The Argentine rehabilitation program has been met with success and … Continue reading Thursday August 16
Colombia prepares for drought from El Niño, the U.S. and Mexico sign a border environmental agreement, and Brazil teams up with China on agricultural research. BRAZIL China has opened a virtual laboratory in Brazil that will focus on molecular biology and genetics in agricultural research. Chinese researchers visiting Brazil will be facilitated by infrastructure already … Continue reading Thursday August 9
Argentines are protesting a new Monsanto factory in Cordoba, Peruvians are reviving ancient farming practices and almost 5 million chickens have been slaughtered in Mexico to contain the H7N3 avian flu. ARGENTINA A cropdusting lawsuit in Córdoba, Argentina resumed this week. Two soybean farmers and a pilot stand accused of cropdusting too close to urban … Continue reading Thursday July 26
Patagonian penguins wash up dead on Brazil’s shores, climate change affects citrus farmers in Argentina and extreme microbes found in the Atacama desert’s highest volcanoes. ARGENTINA Argentine citrus farmers are seeing production plummet 50 to 70 percent following alternating periods of intense heat and freezing temperatures. The producers are salvaging what they can, but the … Continue reading Thursday July 19
An avian flu epidemic in Mexico, the ongoing cholera outbreak in Cuba and genetically-modified mosquitos to be released in Brazil ARGENTINA Argentina is planning on building a 173 square mile wind farm in Chubut province, Patagonia. The China Development Bank Corp. has offered a $3 billion loan to Generadora Eolica Argentina del Sur (Geassa) for … Continue reading Thursday July 12
Argentina upholds glacier protection law, a Colombian volcano is still rumbling and a scientist says northern Chile is due for a large earthquake. ARGENTINA Argentina’s “glacier law,” designed to protect water reserves and limit mining activity on and near glaciers in the country’s Andean west, was upheld by the Argentine Supreme Court this week. In … Continue reading Thursday July 5
A new dinosaur found in Patagonia, a giant Galapagos tortoise dies and another Chilean energy project is delayed ARGENTINA Argentine paleontologists announced this week the discovery of a new genus and species (Bicentenaria argentina) of carnivorous dinosaur found in the country’s Neuquen province in northern Patagonia. The dinosaur measured 3 meters from tip to tail … Continue reading Thursday June 28
