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.

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.

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

Paraguay’s capital still without a wastewater treatment plant, Mexico City’s warmer winters and Latin America’s smartest cities.

PARAGUAY The Paraguay river–which flows through and supplies water to four Latin American countries and is a major commercial waterway–is polluted by millions of liters of wastewater every hour, reports EFE. Paraguay’s capital alone spews 3.2 million liters of untreated residential and commercial sewage each hour, admits Osmar Sarubbi, president of Paraguay’s sanitation services company … Continue reading Paraguay’s capital still without a wastewater treatment plant, Mexico City’s warmer winters and Latin America’s smartest cities.