Brazil

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer thanks to its ability to rapidly spread to other organs. Brazilian researchers have now developed a peptide that seems to slow the growth and spread of melanoma, improving the survival rates of test mice.

It can be hard to determine if an animal is extinct or just really good at hiding. A new study shows how environmental DNA can help the hunt, with several missing frog species rediscovered in Brazil, including one that hasn’t been seen in 50 years.

Some birds make beautiful chirps and tweets. But the white bellbird blasts an obnoxious “song” so loud that it sounds almost digital. Now, researchers have measured just how ear-splitting it is – and crowned it the loudest bird call ever recorded.

Despite a published study saying different, Oxitec and experts argue that a genetically-modified mosquito release program in Brazil was safe after all.

An experimental pest control method using genetically-modified mosquitoes has gone wrong, mixing mutant genes into Brazil's wild mosquito population.

​As you remember from Jurassic Park, velociraptors were known for terrifying claws on their toes. A newly-discovered dinosaur from a related species was packing twice as many weapons. Vespersaurus paranaensis has been found to brandish two large claws on each foot, supporting itself on just one toe.

Researchers from the California Academy of Science (CAS) have discovered a new species of fish that looks pretty hard to miss with its neon green, pink and yellow coloring.

​“Mini-brains” grown in the lab are useful models of the real thing, giving researchers an accurate neuroscience platform without testing on animals. Now, a team of scientists from Brazil have doped the mini-brains with a form of the psychedelic drug DMT, to study the effects on neural pathways.

Life is adept at adapting, and the environment is changing faster than ever thanks to us. Evolution is normally thought of in millions of years, but a new study has observed how human activity has directly driven separate populations of geckos to evolve new attributes in the space of just 15 years.

In a particular patch of Brazilian forest, the trademark sound of howler monkeys has been replaced by an eerie silence as the creatures fall prey to an outbreak of yellow fever. While tragic, one researcher says the event could offer valuable insight into simian ecology.

In the developing world small-scale gold mining and smelting under primitive conditions poses a major health hazard. To help alleviate this, a team from Argonne National Laboratory and the US EPA are developing a prototype mercury capture system (MCS) to reduce heavy metal pollution.

A clinical trial of a permanent vaccine developed by the US-based Sabin Vaccine Institute for hookworm has been completed in Brazil, giving hope for a permanent end to a problem that affects 600 million people worldwide.