Author: Aleszu Bajak

Posted on

Brain controlled robotics in Argentina, talking about bats in Costa Rica, and outsourcing science research of Bolivia’s salt flats

ANTARCTICA

The West Antarctic began to form approximately 22,000 years ago according to a study recently published in the journal Nature. They found, while analyzing a block of ice two miles deep, that a part of the white continent was formed long before the rest of the continent.

Bolivian scientists are not happy that their government has outsourced to foreign researchers the study of extremophiles in the salt flats of Bolivia. Credit: Rabbit Hole via Flickr.

ARGENTINA

The South Atlantic, specifically the Gulf of San Jorge, will be studied jointly by Argentine and Canadian scientists, says the Ministry of Science and Technology of Argentina. The project will start in January 2014, will be done aboard the ship Coriolis II and require an investment of one million dollars.

For 10 years the Faculty of Agronomy at the UBA has been working with farmers in the municipality Daireaux, located 400 km from Buenos Aires. Through tax benefits, producers are encouraged to conserve soil and rotate crops in addition to adopting traditional farming practices in the area. The producers involved in the project have seen significant improvements in organic matter content and soil stability.

A group of scientists in Cordoba has created an innovative technology that allows people with physical disabilities to switch on the lights or lower the blinds in their homes through a system that decodes their brainwaves and transforms them into intelligible orders.

Continue reading “Brain controlled robotics in Argentina, talking about bats in Costa Rica, and outsourcing science research of Bolivia’s salt flats”

Posted on

Human fungal outbreaks traced to Brazil rainforest

Over the past two decades, a deadly fungus previously only found in tropical and subtropical climates has begun infecting humans in other climate zones. So how has this fungus increased its reach?

In 1999, a highly infectious fungus called Cryptococcus gattii emerged on Vancouver Island in Canada. By 2007, the strain had killed 19 people and sickened more than 300 humans and animals on the island. The fungus has since spread into the United States with dozens of cases reported in California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. But where had this infectious fungus come from?

Before the Vancouver Island outbreak, C. gattii didn’t exactly fit the typical profile of a fatal infectious disease for the region. It was known to cause infections in humans and animals but never at the high rate that was reported on Vancouver Island. And previously, those infections were in tropical or subtropical climates where the fungus typically resides in tree hollows. Scientists have been puzzled by where the strain had come from and how it adapted to the cold so well.

Now, a new study by a group of international researchers might have answers to both of those questions. In a paper published in the journal PLoS ONE last week, the team reported that this strain of C. gattii originated in the rainforest of Northern Brazil where the genetic diversity of the pathogen is relatively high. In addition, they believe that global warming trends might be playing a role in the fungus’s spread as well.

Continue reading “Human fungal outbreaks traced to Brazil rainforest”

Posted on

Andean condor census in Chile finds 300 birds near Santiago

A new census of Andean condors taken near Chile’s capital of Santiago has tallied 300 birds. Started in 2011, researchers and volunteers have counted the soaring birds three times a year from six different observation stations on the mountains surrounding the city. They want to learn more about their country’s national bird—the Andean condor’s seven-foot wingspan and taste for carrion are some of the few things researchers know about these scavengers.

“Our numbers are preliminary but clearly valuable because 300 is higher than condor populations counted in other countries,” says Victor Escobar, an independent biologist working with the Chilean ornithology group R.O.C. which led the census. According to Escobar, Bolivia has counted 80 Andean condors (Vultur gryphus) in the Apolobamba range while 200 have been counted near Rio Negro in Argentine Patagonia. “Unfortunately, we don’t have numbers for the entire Andean range,” he says. “But that’s why we started this project.”

Researchers estimate there are around 10,000 Andean condors living throughout the Andes mountains — from northern Colombia to the tip of Patagonia. Though poaching has driven down numbers in Venezuela and Colombia, populations are generally thought to be stronger further south. Condor censuses are sporadic and generally local in nature.

Continue reading “Andean condor census in Chile finds 300 birds near Santiago”

Posted on

Giant penguin fossil found in Antarctica, date of human settlement pushed back in Cuba, and Latin America’s dengue epidemic.

ANTARCTICA A fossilized penguin that lived 35 million years ago has been found in Antarctica. The specimen stands 1.70 meters tall and is nearly complete. ARGENTINA Researchers at Argentina’s Leloir Institute have identified a group of genes which adjust the biological clock of plants according to environmental changes. The discovery was made in the model … Continue reading Giant penguin fossil found in Antarctica, date of human settlement pushed back in Cuba, and Latin America’s dengue epidemic.

Posted on

Eighty percent of the Caribbean’s coral reefs have been lost, the caiman’s recovery in Latin America, and the southern cone’s vineyards and climate change.

ARGENTINA Researchers warn that Argentina and Chile’s water supply may be in peril after looking at how Patagonian icefields have changed in the past. “Worryingly, this study suggests the region may well be on a trajectory of irreversible change, which will have profound impacts on agriculture and the increasing dependency on hydroelectric power in Chile … Continue reading Eighty percent of the Caribbean’s coral reefs have been lost, the caiman’s recovery in Latin America, and the southern cone’s vineyards and climate change.

Posted on

Costa Rica moves to close its zoos, coca and alcohol used in Incan human sacrifice, and Usain Bolt’s superhuman abilities.

ARGENTINA CONICET scientists have developed and field-tested potatoes resistant to Potato Virus Y (PVY), which causes losses of between 20% and 80% of the crop depending on the severity of the infection. Field tests concluded that there was no PVY infection in the genetically-modified plants, while among those not modified, the rate of infection was … Continue reading Costa Rica moves to close its zoos, coca and alcohol used in Incan human sacrifice, and Usain Bolt’s superhuman abilities.

Posted on

Viewing a nascent solar system from the ALMA telescope, protecting mummies in Chile, and a new dinosaur tail found in Mexico.

ARGENTINA Scientists at the National University of San Luis are studying a fossilized insect that was molting 110 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. The insect, of the Notonectidae family, lived under the water’s surface and exhibited predatory habits. The fossils found were compared with their living relatives and identified the current species Notonecta. … Continue reading Viewing a nascent solar system from the ALMA telescope, protecting mummies in Chile, and a new dinosaur tail found in Mexico.

Posted on

Argentine astronomers and dwarf galaxies, surprising research into arsenic in soybeans, and Mexico develops new food packaging.

ARGENTINA Argentine astronomers are trying to explain the lack of dwarf galaxies in the universe. Though astronomical theory predicts the existence of thousands of dwarf galaxies–galaxies with a few billion stars compared with the Milky Way which has 200 to 400 billion–only a few dozen have been discovered. Astronomers in Cordoba have proposed the following … Continue reading Argentine astronomers and dwarf galaxies, surprising research into arsenic in soybeans, and Mexico develops new food packaging.

Posted on

Studying climate change in the Amazon, cattle feed poisoning fish in Mexico, and seagulls still attacking whales in Patagonia.

ARGENTINA Argentina has created its first marine protected area south of the Falkland Islands. Seagulls continue to feast on Southern Right whales off Argentina’s Patagonian coast. One theory for the strange behavior is an overpopulation of gulls caused in part by the bustling tourism industry. CHILE A marine bacterium is being exploited for its antimicrobial … Continue reading Studying climate change in the Amazon, cattle feed poisoning fish in Mexico, and seagulls still attacking whales in Patagonia.

Posted on

Testing a Mars prototype robot in the Atacama, hemophilia research in Mexico, and obesity and diabetes in Latin America.

ARGENTINA A study performed by the University Hospital of Mendoza has yielded alarming results about childhood obesity. Almost 40% of children between 5 and 12 years of age in that province are either overweight (19.9%) or obese (19.1%). Poor nutrition and little or no physical activity were listed as causes. The study will continue to … Continue reading Testing a Mars prototype robot in the Atacama, hemophilia research in Mexico, and obesity and diabetes in Latin America.

Posted on

Argentina conducts genetic inventory of quinoa, new corals found in Chilean fjords, and Panama plants transgenic crops.

ARGENTINA Nine Argentine scientists have been honored by Argentina’s Ministry of Science and Technology. Among the recipients were the physicist James Grigera who studies condensed matter; Mariana Maccioni, an immunologist who works with proteins of the immune system; Mario Pecheny who studies research policy, sexuality and health; and Omar Azzaroni, a biochemist who investigates systems … Continue reading Argentina conducts genetic inventory of quinoa, new corals found in Chilean fjords, and Panama plants transgenic crops.

Posted on

Combating diabetes in Argentina, Chile’s endangered Darwin’s frog, and measuring carbon sequestration in Mexico.

ARGENTINA Argentina’s Ministry of Science and Technology recently signed an agreement with the pharmaceutical company Sanofi to develop a program of primary prevention of type 2 diabetes, a disease with high prevalence in Argentina and Latin America but with few prevention efforts. The study will identify high-risk patients and incorporate nutrition education program and regular … Continue reading Combating diabetes in Argentina, Chile’s endangered Darwin’s frog, and measuring carbon sequestration in Mexico.

Posted on

A bird of prey faces extinction in Central America, the voracious Magellanic penguins of Patagonia, and a new electric car in Chile.

ARGENTINA Argentine researchers looking at the eating habits of Magellanic penguins discovered that each penguin can capture an astounding number of prey items per foraging trip. These include anchovy, hake, sardines, mackerel, octopus and squid in Argentine waters. Considering this level of consumption and the number of penguins that inhabit the Argentine coast (900,000 pairs), … Continue reading A bird of prey faces extinction in Central America, the voracious Magellanic penguins of Patagonia, and a new electric car in Chile.

Posted on

Galapagos tortoises could have had roots in the Amazon, a new cancer vaccine in Argentina, and Ecuador’s oil spill reaches Peru.

ARGENTINA Argentina has approved the use of a cancer vaccine that complements other treatments for lung cancer, which will be available for patients in July. The National Administration of Drugs, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT) has approved the work that took Argentine and Cuban scienctists 18 years to complete. The vaccine stimulates the patient’s immune … Continue reading Galapagos tortoises could have had roots in the Amazon, a new cancer vaccine in Argentina, and Ecuador’s oil spill reaches Peru.

Posted on

New birds and arachnids found in Brazil, Pascua-Lama gold mine contamination and delays, and leatherback turtle numbers rebound in Trinidad.

ARGENTINA Argentina is expanding its agricultural frontier at the expense of native vegetation in semiarid regions like the Cuyo and the Northwest. A group of scientists from the National University of San Luis studied these changes and determined the rise of the water table (with the rising risk of increased salinity) and the appearance of … Continue reading New birds and arachnids found in Brazil, Pascua-Lama gold mine contamination and delays, and leatherback turtle numbers rebound in Trinidad.

Posted on

Brazil successfully clones a cow from a fat cell, great white shark research in Mexico and Peru finds more dead animals on its coasts.

ARGENTINA Only 800 hooded grebes–a bird living in Santa Cruz Patagonia–are left in the world. A science writer flies to Argentina to take a look. An Argentine researcher has published a study in PLoS ONE that explores empathy and its role in moral judgments. Read more on Eze’s blog here. Press release here. A study … Continue reading Brazil successfully clones a cow from a fat cell, great white shark research in Mexico and Peru finds more dead animals on its coasts.

Posted on

The benefits of shade-grown coffee in Colombia, tackling superbugs in Costa Rica, and deforestation in Nicaragua

ARGENTINA The Argentine company Bioceres has partnered with French biotech company Florimond Desprez to produce, initially for the Argentine and Latin America market, the first transgenic wheat crop. The product could be available for planting in 2016. The crop will use the Hahb-4 gene, involved in the synthesis of ethylene, a plant hormone responsible for … Continue reading The benefits of shade-grown coffee in Colombia, tackling superbugs in Costa Rica, and deforestation in Nicaragua