Tag: Argentina

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Mexico’s coffee feels the heat, Colombia to open its first aviary, and a Puerto Rican scientist finds capybara fossils.

COLOMBIA Colombia plans on opening its first aviary off the Caribbean coast of the city of Cartagena and will harbor around 1,850 species. MEXICO Climate change is affecting coffee production in Mexico’s Chiapas region. More moisture means more coffee rust, a fungus that is currently spreading through South and Central America. PUERTO RICO A Puerto … Continue reading Mexico’s coffee feels the heat, Colombia to open its first aviary, and a Puerto Rican scientist finds capybara fossils.

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A scientific study of Patagonia’s Beagle Channel, deforestation in the Gran Chaco, and a ‘planetarium on wheels’ in Mexico.

CHILE Scientists from Chile will be traveling to the southernmost part of Patagonia to study the continental tip that Darwin rounded on his voyage on the Beagle. The scientific expedition will study things like biodiversity, effects of climate change and anthropology of the local indigenous tribes. Critics are worried that Chile’s new energy minister will … Continue reading A scientific study of Patagonia’s Beagle Channel, deforestation in the Gran Chaco, and a ‘planetarium on wheels’ in Mexico.

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Chile creates science ministry, ancient surgical techniques in Peru, and studying the DNA of the papaya.

ARGENTINA Researchers at the National University of Córdoba developed in rats a method for assessing the exposure of fetuses to moderate consumption of alcohol by their mothers. They found that the fetus familiarizes itself with flavors and odors in the amniotic fluid and that newborns recognize the smell of alcohol, even if the mothers have … Continue reading Chile creates science ministry, ancient surgical techniques in Peru, and studying the DNA of the papaya.

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Ethnobiological drug discovery in Latin America

In the 1530s, the French seafaring explorer Jacques Cartier noticed that indigenous slaves did not die from the debilitating disease that was spreading through the ranks of his sailors. Upon inquiry, Cartier learned from Dom Agaya, one of the Huron natives, that the use of decoctions from the ameda tree protected them against scurvy. This … Continue reading Ethnobiological drug discovery in Latin America

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New ‘Game of Thrones’ slug found in Brazil, the ‘sponge effect’ of Latin America’s tropical forests, and Peru’s scientific cruise sails for Antarctica.

BRAZIL Brazilian scientists have discovered a slug that lives on the northwest coast of the country which they dubbed Tritonia khaleesi in honor of the character from the renowned television series “Game of Thrones.” The slug can grow up to 12 mm long and has a white stripe along the body that resembles the braid … Continue reading New ‘Game of Thrones’ slug found in Brazil, the ‘sponge effect’ of Latin America’s tropical forests, and Peru’s scientific cruise sails for Antarctica.