Fighting dengue in Paraguay, climate change in the Brazilian Amazon, and ancient microorganisms in Antarctica.

ANTARCTICA

A team of scientists has determined that a major cause of melting corresponds to the bottom of submerging ice shelves.

Climate change could raise the temperature in the Brazilian Amazon by six degrees and convert 45% of rain forest areas into savannah. Credit: WikiCommons.

Researchers drilling to the bottom of Lake Hodgson of Antarctica have found microorganisms that date back 100,000 years. DNA studies will soon determine whether these findings are an unknown species.

ARGENTINA

A University of Mendoza study has demonstrated the neuroprotective effects of progesterone and their possible application as treatment for Parkinson’s disease. This research was commended by the Society of Biology of the Cuyo.

A team of researchers from the Universidad Nacional del Litoral has isolated bacteria from infant feces and breast milk for use in probiotics. The team’s intention is to grow up these microorganisms to commercial quantities so they can be incorporated into the daily glass of milk in low-income schools.

Continue reading “Fighting dengue in Paraguay, climate change in the Brazilian Amazon, and ancient microorganisms in Antarctica.”

Thursday December 20

Peru’s threatened anchovy fishery, new dinosaur found in Argentina, and Antarctica’s mosquito problem. ANTARCTICA An invasive species of mosquito (Eretmoptera murphyi) has been found in Antarctica and has some scientists worried about its effect on the continent. The mosquito, brought over by tourists and researchers alike, could deposit large amounts of nutrients in the soil … Continue reading Thursday December 20

Thursday November 8

Patagonian ozone hole affecting forest growth, melting tropical glaciers in Peru, and Venezuela’s sardine fishery collapse. ARGENTINA A hole in the ozone has changed Patagonia’s weather. Less rainfall is having an effect on the region’s forests that is unprecedented in the past 600 years. Writing in the journal Nature Geoscience, an international team of scientists … Continue reading Thursday November 8

Thursday October 18

Central American crops battling pests and drought, Argentine students overweight, and sea lions nursed back to health in Peru ARGENTINA 37% of schoolchildren in Argentina are overweight and 18% of those are obese, says a review of 57 studies done across 13 of Argentina’s provinces. The studies include around 120,000 children and were undertaken in … Continue reading Thursday October 18