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.

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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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Fly high with technology

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

Any bird watcher, amateur or veteran, can contribute to the scientific knowledge about birds in Puerto Rico by including their observation in eBird Puerto Rico (www.eBirdPR.org). This project is a free database where birdwatchers can post their field observations and share them. eBird Puerto Rico is a joint effort between Cornell University’s Ornithology Laboratory, the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust and the Ornithology Society of Puerto Rico, all non-profit organizations with a commitment to increase knowledge about birds. The main purpose of this collaboration is to increase the number of bird watchers in Puerto Rico and increase scientific knowledge about these beautiful organisms.

The Science City

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

The name may sound futuristic and you are right: the Science City represent the future of Puerto Rico in a knowledge-based economy. The Science City, the Science and Technology Trust biggest project, pretends to integrate an urban design with research and sciences. This space will include the Knowledge Corridor (the Medical Center, the Cancer Center, the Biomolecular Sciences Building, UPR-Rio Piedras and the Botanical Garden); Oso Blanco (old state penitentiary), which after re-development will provide more than a million square feet of laboratory space; and 83 surrounding acres to build residences and commercial spaces. This City will be connected by the Urban Train and a bridge system.

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Open avenues for the development of our human capital

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

It is true that the transformation of Oso Blanco (the old State penitentiary) is one of the key projects of the Puerto Rico Science and Technology Trust (STT), the mission of this entity goes way beyond re-developing the old penitentiary. Mariano García Blanco, professor at Duke, trustee of the STT (and CienciaPR and CAPRI member) said that the transformation of Oso Blanco will help strenghten the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry and biotechnology, providing Puerto Rico with the spaces necessary to do Research and Development. The Knowledge Corridor will provide spaces for laboratories, commerce, and residences, among other things; is in the center of intellectual life in San Juan and connected by the Urban Train. Having companies,, laboratories and academic centers in the same community will help the academia/industry integration necessary to be prosperous in a knowledge-based economy, said García Blanco.

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Fossil reptiles in Puerto Rico

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

If we tried to imagine the Pre-Historic times in Puerto Rico we would find a “modern” environment”, with mangrove swamps, turtles taking the sun on the coast and gavials swimming in the salty waters, an environment very similar to the actual coasts of Bangladesh. In Puerto Rico most fossils are from the Pleistocene (1.8 million years ago) found in caves. There are also older fossils from the Miocene (23.8 to 5.3 million years ago). The most extraordinary reptile fossil found in Puerto Rico is of a gavial, Aktiogavialis puertoricensis, found near San Sebastian. One of the most interesting things about this discovery is that, on the contrary to today’s gavial that lives in fresh water, those gavials lived in salty water. This is very important because it explains how other fossil gavials got to South America; they probably swam across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa.

Pregnancy seems to soothe MS symptoms

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

CienciaPR Contribution: 

The Professional is a member of CienciaPR
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease that destroys myelin –an adipose layer that surrounds nerve fibers and gives name to the “white matter” of our nervous system. A study done by scientists at the University of Calgary in Canada, published recently in the Journal of Neuroscience, demonstrated that during pregnancy there is an increase in myelin production, due to the proliferation of the cell that produce myelin in the nervous system, known as oligodendrocites. The oligodendrocite proliferation seemed to be promoted by prolactin, a hormone which main function is to stimulate breast milk production, so its levels are high during pregnancy. *This article is part of our collaboration with EL Nuevo Dia

Mayagüez drives eco-tourism project

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

The Rio Hondo community self-management Project is closer to become a reality because Mayagüez mayor José Guillermo Rodríguez said he will ask the governor to include the purchase of land for the project in the budget of Herencia Cien Mil (One Hundred Thousand Legacy), a program created to acquire and preserve 100,000 acres throughout Puerto Rico. The goal of the Rio Hondo project is to preserve one of the few green areas close to downtown Mayaguez and stimulate the economy through agriculture and tourism. The project plans an urban forest with a small square with gazebos, a village-like inn, a pool that will resemble a small river and that will flow through the forest, resting areas and walk boards. It will also have a pond with fish and shrimp in the center of the facilities and an area with domestic animals.

Necessary to eliminate monkeys

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

In the middle of harsh criticism for the way they capture monkeys in western Puerto Rico, the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) admitted that after being captured, the animals are either sacrificed or sent to the United States to become research subjects. The DRNA secretary, Javier Vélez Arocho, said it is necessary to eliminate the monkeys, which are wild, exotic animals that damage agricultural crops and can carry diseases.

Hawksbill turtle: fighting against predators

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

The hawsbill turtle, Eretmochelys imbricada, the most beautiful of the four marine turtle that live in Puerto Rican beaches, is a threatened species, thanks to thoughtless individuals that hunt this turtle and use its shell to make accessories and eat their eggs and meat. Given Puerto Rico’s importance as a nesting place for the hawksbill turtle, scientists in the Island monitor the turtle’s nest and relocate some of them to protect the eggs. However some of the relocated nests are being invaded by Ipomoea pes-caprae, or Goat’s foot vine, which affects the eggs development. Currently students from the Marine Biology Program in Humacao are studying the causes of this phenomenon and to improve the relocation processes for the benefit of the species.

Industrials focused on their role in economy

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

With the motto “Industrial, the power is in your hands… exert it!”, the Puerto Rico Industrials Association will emphasize the strategic leadership of the private sector in the promotion of the Island’s economic development, said Edgardo Fábregas, president of the organization. “Facing the challenges of globalization, today more than ever, the industrial community has to take the bull by the horns and lead the way to prosperity”, said the Industrials leader.

Goverment to compensate wetland damage

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

Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá announced the sow of over a million native trees and plants in a farm in Loiza owned by the Land Authority, to compensate for the damage of a wetland due to improvements in the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. The Port Authority will affect a wetland in the Airport premises, but they will pay for the sow and development of another wetland in the La Virginia farm in Loiza. The area will eventually become a natural reserve and will have the infrastructure so the population and tourists can enjoy nature. There will be a bird watching zone and the channels in the farm could be used for kayak excursions.

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