Off the Osa Peninsula in southern Costa Rica, scientists experiment with reviving coral reefs. Last year things turned pretty bad for coral reefs throughout the world due to ocean warming caused by El Niño and human activities that bleached and caused death in many reefs, including those in the Golfo Dulce. By "reforesting" the coral reef with fragments of coral "planted" in ceramic discs, a...

Costa Rica and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) have agreed to develop a joint groundwater exploration and evaluation project to improve resource management and minimize the impact of climate change, reported the Spanish news agency EFE last week. The Costa Rican Environment and Energy Ministry (MINAE) said in a press release that the Geological Survey expert, Saud Amer, who carried o...

-- A UCR student research project looks at factors that influence the microbiological stability of bottled hot sauce to prevent problems like botulism. Carolina Zúñiga Arrieta's dissertation research at the University of Costa Rica's School of Food Technology was selected as one of six finalists in an annual research competition organized by the U.S.-based Institute of Food Technologists (IFT),...

The project started with the idea of creating alternative, unconventional, sources of electricity; this led researches from the Costa Rica Institute of Technology (TEC) to develop e.Wave, which uses the ocean waves to generate electricity. Christopher Vega, Juan Luis Guerrero and Julio Rojas, engineers at TEC’s Electro-Mechanic School along with a group of students led by Iván Segura, developed...

As researchers scramble to understand how ecosystems react to the earth's changing climate, forests, especially tropical rainforests, are top on the list. This is because of their huge capacity to be "carbon sinks" or absorb tons of carbon pollution - from burning fossil fuels - that creates the greenhouse effect, or warming of the earth's climate. As global temperatures rise, and rainfa...

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order that starts to undo the environmental policies put in place by - and the legacy against climate change of - his predecessor, Barack Obama. A key element in Trump's executive order, signed at the Washington headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency is that it eliminates the requirement that federal government agencies factor t...

By Wendy Anders The Max Planck Society of Germany (MPG), the National Council of Rectors (CONARE), and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT) signed an agreement in January to strengthen scientific collaboration on joint research projects and research-based training. The agreement is result of the visit of a high-level delegation headed by the German Federal Mini...

Geneva, Jan. 18 — Last year was the hottest on record, with an average temperature 1.1 degrees Centigrade (2 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than in pre-industrial times, the World Meteorological Organization said on Wednesday. The WMO said it combined data from NASA, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the British Meteorological Office and the European Centre for Medi...

By Wendy Anders Costa Rica is a full member state of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), and in mid-December hosted the center’s fifth workshop on human RNA viruses. The topics in this and previous conferences include illnesses that affect humans and animals in developing countries such as dengue, zika, avian flu, rotavirus, hantavirus and others. D...

Science magazine on Thursday declared the detection this past year of gravitational waves, which had been predicted to exist a century ago by Alberto Einstein but were spotted for the first time in 2016 by scientists, to be the scientific discovery of the year. (Watch the video at the end of this article to get a better understanding of what gravitational waves are) Adrian Cho of Science magaz...

By Wendy Anders Duoo Hopeful,"Underwear-designed to protect mens' balls from smartphone rays," from Facebook. While the latest craze of briefs that shield men’s genitals from cellphone radiation may work, are they really necessary?, asks The Conversation in a recent article. Sales pitches for the undergarments include claims that protecting one’s testicles from radio waves emitted by cel...

The Christmas and New Year holiday season tend to bring a rise in depression and suicides. A researcher in Florida hopes those at risk will use a free app that has shown promise of reducing suicide risk, and has other insights for others in the mental health field. Florida State University researcher Joseph Franklin made a startling discovery during an exhaustive examination of hundreds of suic...

The Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT) in conjunction with Aprender Haciendo (Learn Doing), has announced that Costa Rica will host the 14th edition of the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) 2017. “More than 3 thousand people from 55 different countries will come to our country to participate, it is a very big event” said Alejandra Sanchez from Aprender Haciendo. According...

A group of students of the Technology Institute of Costa Rica (TEC) won the silver medal in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) event, organized by MIT and that took place in Boston, MA, USA, October 27th to the 31st in the category Diagnostics. The Costa Ricans participated with their project Prostal, a system for the diagnosis of prostate cancer through the development of ...

(Reuters) - Swiss scientists have helped monkeys with spinal cord injuries regain control of non-functioning limbs in research which might one day lead to paralyzed people being able to walk again. The scientists, who treated the monkeys with a neuroprosthetic interface that acted as a wireless bridge between the brain and spine, say they have started small feasibility studies in humans to tria...

Costa Rica’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT), released the names of the winners of the national Clodomiro Picado Twight Science and Technology Awards 2016. These awards are given to those Costa Ricans that carry out and make public an investigation that contributes with the information and knowledge of that area. Costa Rican microbiologist Marie Claire Arrieta ...

A new antibiotic with antifungal properties was discovered in Costa Rica by investigators of the University of Costa Rica (UCR), Harvard University and Wisconsin University. The investigation was conducted in the biological station La Selva in Sarapiquí, Heredia and the name given to this new molecule “Selvamicin” actually makes reference to this. La Selva receives close to 300 investigators ev...

Costa Rican seismologist Marino Protti visited the Antarctica for the first time in 2013 as part of the Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD), with the objective of installing twenty seismologic stations to measure the displacement of the glacial and the earthquakes produced by the same. Now, three years later, Dr. Marino Protti, an experienced seismologist from the ...

CLIMATE CHANGE Nexus is a line of hydrofluorocarbon-free appliances, Facebook. Kigali, Rwanda, Oct. 15 — Nearly 200 countries reached an agreement Saturday on the phase-out of hydrofluorocarbon gases found in air conditioners, refrigeration devices, foams and aerosols, which have a strong impact on global warming. The agreement, adopted in Kigali after a week of discussions and an all-ni...

(EFE).- A Spanish marine institution and military officials on Friday agreed to launch a pioneering project to evaluate the potential use of sea lions in search and rescue missions. The idea for the research deal came from the intelligence and skill demonstrated by sea lions during training in captivity as well as their known ability to effortlessly navigate choppy seas and dive to great depths...

Whether or not we are athletes we have all heard this "rule", “no sex before a competition”, this theory has been around for ages, for instance Greek philosopher Plato wrote in 444 BC that “Olympic competitors before races should avoid sexual intimacy” and this continues to apply today in pretty much every sport; for boxers and MMA fighters for example sex is not an option for at least a month or ...

/PRNewswire/ --The third edition of the Life Sciences Forum Costa Rica, organized by the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE), gathered over 450 participants including international speakers, consulting firms, international academia, researchers and corporate representatives of over 100 companies, who during two days, discussed the world's leading industry trends of the sector and how C...

(Photo Credit: Ruth Garita/ OCM) “DesplazaTEC” is the name of the app created by Alexander Chaves a student of a Masters in Computer Sciences at the Costa Rican Institute of Technology (TEC). This application serves as a guide within the TEC campus for blind people or population with low sight problems by informing them through voice system of any hazards they can find ahead (stairs, obstacles...

NOBEL PHYSICS Copenhagen, Oct. 4 — Three British scientists won the 2016 Nobel Prize for Physics, announced the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Tuesday. David Thouless, Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz were awarded the Prize for their research into exotic states of matter, which has paved the way for the development of innovative materials. "This year's Laureates opened the door...

Miami, Sept. 15 - Chronic loneliness is more dangerous than alcoholism or obesity and can even kill, says Argentine neuroscientist Facundo Manes, author of "Usar el cerebro" (Using the Brain), a book discussing getting to know one’s mind to be able to live better. "Feeling alone is a biological mechanism like being hungry or thirsty, but the difference is that a person can eat or drink and thei...

The Broader View network for volunteering overseas recently announced updates to is Costa Rica sea turtle conservation program, which takes place in the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Following are details from the press release: Are you interested in volunteering with wild life? If so, why not become a Costa Rica Sea Turtle Volunteer? This opportunity gives you a chance to experience sea tur...

Source: York University Each year, the Fisher Fund Wine Tasting and Auction not only brings together some of York University’s top supporters and wine collectors, but serves as an opportunity to unite this group in support of environmental research that holds importance at a local and global level. The Sunnybrook Vaughan Estate was home to more than 85 guests this year for 14th annual event, r...

Wikimedia Commons By Tânia Esteves for EFE No one knows for certain the reason why human beings need several hours of sleep every day, but a Portuguese neuroscientist has discovered the protein responsible for the mechanism regulating sleep. Diogo Pimentel, part of an Oxford University team studying the intricacies of sleep, is one of the lead authors of a paper recently published in "Na...

Imagine tiny bubbles of methane — a potent greenhouse gas — rising from the ocean floor, escaping into the atmosphere, playing havoc in heating up the planet and contributing to global warming and climate change. Yet certain rocks on the depths of the ocean floor host an interesting microbiological community, where microscopic organisms, or microbes, actually eat escaping methane to acquire energ...

Source: NIS A New Jersey nanotechnology firm that provides solutions for industrial clients now has a presence in Costa Rica. In a recent statement, Nanotech Industrial Solutions (NIS) explained that it continues to improve their clients' performance by offering integrated solutions in lubrication, which can only be achieved by having alliances with high standard companies. NIS has come to...

Wikimedia Commons By Igor G. Barbero for EFE He may not be able to close his fists perfectly yet, owing to a layer of warts that are still on his palms, but the "Tree Man" of Bangladesh is pleased with his new hands after a string of surgeries freed them of the burden of warts that resembled the bark of a tree. Now awaiting cosmetic touch-ups, 27-year-old Abul Bajandar, is thinking about...

Zoo Ave ROCK HILL, South Carolina, August 22, 2016 – 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) announced today that its digital manufacturing solutions played a crucial role in the rehabilitation of Grecia, a toucan in Costa Rica that lost the majority of its upper beak as the victim of a senseless act of cruelty. The attack on Grecia not only left the toucan unable to feed and fend for itself, but it sparked ...

Alicia Chong RodrigueZ. Photo: Casey Atkins By Catherine Curro Caruso | MIT News correspondent   When Alicia Chong Rodriguez first toured the MIT campus as a high school student, she was so impressed by everything she saw that she still remembers excitedly phoning her mom back home in Costa Rica, calling collect from a pay phone in the student center. “It’s the first time I was fac...

Source: MSP Twitter Two earthquakes shook Costa Rica on Wednesday morning, prompting the evacuation of at least two public buildings in San Jose. The first seismic event registered a 4.7 magnitude with an epicenter located near San Carlos, a small town in the Tarrazú region of the province of San Jose. That initial earthquake took place at 10:06 in the morning, and it was followed by a 4.6 ...

Wikimedia Commons By Andres Sanchez Braun Tokyo, Aug 14 (EFE).- Blood produced artificially is the simple formula proposed by a Japanese firm whose revolutionary project seeks to reduce the scarcity of donor banks, bring down the cost of blood preservation and avoid contaminated transfusions. "One tends to think that blood is always available when a transfusion is required, but the truth...

Dlodlo V1 Chinese company Dlodlo has developed the world's lightest virtual reality, or VR, glasses that weigh only 88 grams and looks like conventional sunglasses, as opposed to the chunky and larger VR glasses that hit technology markets this year. According to official newspaper China Daily, the V1 Dlodlo are not just the lightest but also the first virtual glasses to operate independent...

Wikimedia Commons Dozens of people have died from an unknown disease in the northwestern Nagaland area of Myanmar over the last two months, an epa journalist reported. As of this morning, the sickness has claimed the lives of 40 people, marking an increase after Friday's death toll of 39, according to Shu Maung, Assistant General Secretary of the Council of Naga Affairs. Most victims of th...

U.S drillship Joides Resolution The effects of earthquakes are often severe and highly visible. They can destroy homes, induce slope failures and trigger tsunamis. The main cause for earthquakes are the stresses that occur in the Earth's interior, when two tectonic plates pass each other and interlock during this process. But even the worst earthquake starts with a very small first crack in th...

Photo by Arthur Caranta, Flickr Commons By Violeta Molina Gallardo Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have endowed certain machines with human qualities such as intuition and improvisation. Despite such technological progress, experts say future machines may never achieve self-awareness. "We don't really understand how consciousness works, we barely know anything at all a...

Cartoon by Clay Jones U.S. health authorities announced this week the start of the first safety trials for a vaccine against the Zika virus just as the disease has appeared in Florida with at least 15 people having been infected by locally-hatched mosquitoes. The National Institute of Health announced Wednesday that the first phase of the studies is aimed at establishing the safety of the e...