News of science

World's biggest iceberg runs aground, sparing wildlife haven island

04-03-2025 13:30 The colossal iceberg A23a – which is more than twice the size of Greater London and weighs nearly one trillion tonnes – has been drifting north from Antarctica towards South Georgia island since 2020.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Milei’s chainsaw slashes funds for science, research institutes

01-02-2025 09:12 President Javier Milei’s government has drastically reduced the budgets of the CONICET scientific research council, INTA agricultural technology body and ARSAT satellite firm – now entire programmes are being eliminated.

by Andrea Gentil

SPENDING CUTS

Scientists warn Milei wants to 'deepen' cuts, slash state research

10-01-2025 14:51 Scientists and academics warn the Milei administration wants to cut research funding across social and environmental sciences.

ARGENTINA

The world's largest dinosaur arrives in Patagonia

09-11-2024 15:18 The world’s largest known dinosaur has found its permanent home in Patagonia. As of Saturday, November 9, the colossal Patagotitan Mayorum, stretching 40 meters in length and standing nine meters tall, will be on display at the Egidio Feruglio Paleontological Museum, inviting awe from all who visit.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Scientists fear underfunded research on verge of collapse

01-10-2024 11:13 Drastic budget cuts by President Javier Milei's government are damaging scientific research, with the lack of state funding opening the door to a potential exodus of researchers.

Lithium in Argentina

Economic crisis thwarts bid to go nuclear with lithium bounty

17-09-2024 11:35 Currency woes dog Argentine scientists trying to develop key isotope Lithium-6, which could have nuclear applications; Milei’s spending cuts, privatisation plans are also a factor.

Science & Nature

In Darwin's footsteps: scientists recreate historic 1830s expedition

30-05-2024 12:45 Sarah Darwin, the great-great-granddaughter of Charles Darwin, is one of a group of scientists and environmentalists who have sailed from Plymouth to the Galapagos over the last year.

MEXICO ELECTION 2024

Claudia Sheinbaum: 'Ice Lady' scientist breaking barriers in Mexico

29-05-2024 05:20 Dubbed the "Ice Lady" by her rivals, Claudia Sheinbaum – a cool-headed scientist with a PhD in energy engineering – is the favourite to become Mexico's first woman president.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Nobel laureates warn budget cuts are 'cancelling' research

06-03-2024 22:31 Sixty-eight Nobel laureates urge President Javier Milei to restore budgets for science and technology that have been cut under his drive to slash public spending.

HEALTHCARE & SOCIETY

Mosquito invasion hits Buenos Aires and its surroundings

20-02-2024 14:12 Experts warn influx of mosquitoes is expected to last several weeks and recommend protective measures; Buenos Aires Province government to provide free repellent to residents across territory.

Environment

Studying the otherworldly sounds in Antarctic waters

16-02-2024 10:48 A Colombian scientific expedition to the Southern Ocean is researching underwater hums, pitches and echoes to better understand life in the deep.

CLIMATE CHANGE

In Antarctica, scientists study extent of microplastics

31-01-2024 14:26 The Antarctic ice sheet has been suffering for years from rising global temperatures, and scientists are investigating the impact of microplastics on this environment.

EDUCATION

Alarming figures: 7 in 10 students don't reach basic levels in maths

06-12-2023 14:43 PISA 2022 2022 scholastic tests show five out of every 10 pupils in Argentina not meeting minimal levels in language and science; Seven out of every 10 students do not reach basic levels in maths, study shows.

Science & Nature

Storms swell Iguazú waterfalls to near decade-high flow

31-10-2023 20:25 Heavy rains have swollen the famed Iguazú waterfalls, with the flow reaching gushing to 24.2 million litres per second – more than 16 times the falls' normal level.

BIRD FLU FEARS

Several sea lions on Atlantic coast die from suspected bird flu

30-08-2023 12:09 Animal health authorities in Argentina report death of more than 50 sea lions from suspected bird flu on the Atlantic coast, raising fears the virus could spread more easily among humans.

HEALTHCARE

In vaccination champ Brazil, many have stopped getting shots

11-07-2023 15:25 Two years after Brazil began emerging from its pandemic horror show thanks to a massive immunisation campaign, officials face a paradoxical predicament: vaccination rates have plunged, and not just for Covid-19, leaving millions exposed to once-eradicated diseases.

ENVIRONMENT

Study: Half world's largest lakes and reservoirs drying up

18-05-2023 17:16 More than half of the world's largest lakes and reservoirs are dwindling and placing humanity's future water security at risk, warns new study.

ENVIRONMENT

World's 'oldest' tree able to reveal planet's secrets

24-04-2023 10:40 In a forest in southern Chile, protected from fires and logging that decimated the species, a giant alerce tree has survived for thousands of years. Scientists see in its trunk a valuable record of how life adapts to the changes on the planet.