Science News

Collaborations with various media allow us to create a bank of science news of relevance to the Puerto Rican and Hispanic communities and give a venue that our scientific members can use to keep their communities informed and engaged with science.

Also, the news archive can be used as a resource for students and educators

In this section you can find: news written by members of the CienciaPR team and written by other news media and which are reproduced with permission from the original source.

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Glacier water reaches the Island

This article is reproduced by CienciaPR with permission from the original source.

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The melting of the artic glaciers is one of the effects of global warming. Although the loss of the ice is occurring far away from Puerto Rico, the absence of glaciers in the Island does exclude it from the effects of global warming. This, because the atmosphere, the oceans, rocks and life are interconnected systems, that are very sensitive to changes among them. The melting of the Greenland and Antarctica glaciers could cause the water level to raise 0.5 to 2 meters in next century. This will bring a string of consequences like the increase of coastal flooding and erosion, and an increase in the frequency and intensity of storms and hurricanes. Also economical activities, like tourism, fishing, and agriculture, among others, could be affected. We can still diminish the effects of global warming if we act now. By conserving energy in our homes, work places and transport we can reduce carbon dioxide emissions produce by the use of fossil fuel. A lot of countries have taken measures to reduce their greenhouse gases emissions. Puerto Rico doesn’t have to be the last to do this, and contribute to the benefit of our planet and society.

Puerto Rico free of trans fats

This article is reproduced by CienciaPR with permission from the original source.

Starting on January 1st, 2008, every food establishment in Puerto Rico can’t use hydrogenated fat, better known as “trans-fats”, in food preparation. The Department of Consumer Affairs regulation says that no food that contains hydrogenated fat can be stored, distributed, retained for service, used in the preparation of any food in the menu or served in any food establishment. The only exception will be “food served directly to consumers in the original manufacturer’s package”. However, it will be allowed to sell food with an hydrogenated fat content less than 0.5 grams per serving. The fines for violating the new regulations could be up to $10,000 if imposed by the Department of Consumer Affairs and $2,000 if imposed by the environmental division of the Department of Health.

Diabetes spreads around the country

This article is reproduced by CienciaPR with permission from the original source.

On the contrary to other diseases, most of the diabetes-related deaths in Puerto Rico occur in patients outside the metropolitan area. The municipalities with the highest incidence in diabetes-related deaths for every 10,000 habitants are Lajas, Patillas, Sabana Grande, Las Marias, Maricao and Adjuntas. Because of this the Society of Podiatry Physicians, together with the Puerto Rican Association of Diabetes Educators, the Pediatric Diabetes Foundation and the Puerto Rican Diabetes Association are launching a campaign named “Say no to amputations – Inland” for the next ten years in municipalities like Aibonito, Utuado, Cayey, Arroyo and Patillas. For more information on diabetes: Puerto Rican Diabetes Association Interactive tutotial

Historical operation

This article is reproduced by CienciaPR with permission from the original source.

The first pancreas transplant in Puerto Rico took place last weekend in the Auxilio Mutuo Hospital. The patient, Desiderio Cruz Rojas, 41 years-old and resident of Camuy suffers from diabetes with renal deficiency. He was selected to receive a simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant given his medical history of juvenile diabetes with irreversible damage to the pancreas and a chronic renal disease in terminal state.

Global warming will affect biodiversity

This article is reproduced by CienciaPR with permission from the original source.

Global warming will be of great loss to many species, like the polar bear, certain populations of birds, amphibians, coral reefs and fishes. But mosquitoes and other insects, some of them disease carriers, are feasting. The World Health Organization has warned that global warming will increase the proliferation of disease-carrying organisms like rodents and mosquitoes, because it will increase the amount of warm and humid areas where they can reproduce. Not only will their population increase, but also their distribution, extending their habitats. It is known that global warming will have an impact in biodiversity, but the extent is unknown. In Puerto Rico, this could affect the coqui population, birds, bats and plants.

Important underground resource

This article is reproduced by CienciaPR with permission from the original source.

Puerto Rico is currently going through a drought that threatens to force us to ration water use. This brings up the importance of aquifers, a vital resource that provides around 29% of the Island’s fresh water supply. An aquifer is an underground geological formation made of gravel, sand or porous rocks, capable of storing and yield water. The Island has 4 regions with important aquifers: the karst rocks between Aguadilla and Luquillo in the northern coast and the coastal valley between Ponce and Guayama. The river’s alluvial valleys also form aquifers in all coasts. During drought, aquifers are used as an alternative for the crisis, but this introduces the over usage problem, which could cause saline intrusion of the aquifer –the mixing of saline and fresh water- rendering the aquifer’s water useless.

Students show off their math skills

This article is reproduced by CienciaPR with permission from the original source.

The San Ignacio de Loyola School was the winner of the Mathcounts competition, celebrated each year among students of sixth to eight grade. The competition consisted of written and oral algebra and math problems to be solved in a given time, individually and in a team. It was held at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, sponsor of the competition in the Island.

The Moon's hiding place

This article is reproduced by CienciaPR with permission from the original source.

There are two kinds of eclipses: solar eclipses and lunar eclipses. Solar eclipses (visible during the day) occur when there is a new moon. During the new moon phase, the Moon places itself between the Sun and the Earth. On the other hand, lunar eclipses (visible at night) occur when the moon, in its full phase, comes between the Earth’s shadow and the sunlight can’t reach the planet directly. There are eclipse seasons, just like there hurricane seasons. Normally these seasons occur twice a year. Lunar eclipses can be used to determine the quality of the Earth’s atmosphere. Depending of the color of the Moon during the eclipse, the cleanliness of the atmosphere can be determined.

Sierra Bermeja: accounts of our history

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The Professional is a member of CienciaPR
Sierra Bermeja is a mountain range south of the Lajas valley, between the municipalities of Cabo Rojo and Lajas in southwestern Puerto Rico, where the oldest rocks in Puerto Rico, and some of the oldest in the Caribbean, can be found. The kinds of fossils and rocks found in Sierra Bermeja gives us a clue of the geological origins of our Island. Besides having a great geological value, Sierra Bermeja has other treasures, important for our national patrimony. Several species of endangered birds and plants live there. Also, some Indian settlement remains have been found there, including tools made of flint.

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