Posts tagged with "discovery"

Reading Comprehension: New Species

Posted by Rachel No Comments
Jul 28 2010

Let’s test your Portuguese skills by reading this article about finding new species in the Amazon.

Expedição encontra espécies novas de insetos na Amazônia

“Após uma expedição realizada em junho na selva amazônica, pesquisadores voltaram à cidade com pelo menos 65 espécies de insetos que nunca haviam sido vistas na natureza. A estimativa inicial representa apenas uma pequena parcela do que ainda pode ser descoberto entre os mais de 100 mil indivíduos resgatados durante a viagem, já que a análise e a catalogação das espécies podem levar anos e o setor carece de especialistas.”

Read the full article here

Questions

1. How many new species of insects were discovered?

2. How many specimens did the researchers collect?

3. What is a louva-a-deus? What does louvar a Deus literally mean?

4. How long did the expedition last?

5. What happened during the scientists’ 2009 expedition?

Read More »

The Real El Dorado

Posted by Rachel No Comments
Jan 7 2010

Yesterday, The Guardian published an article about a study of the Brazilian Amazon that indicates that the long lost mythical city of El Dorado did in fact exist, and existed in pre-Columbian Brazil.

While researchers haven’t actually found a city made of gold, they have discovered 200 earthworks built over a span of 155 miles. The structures date back to between 200 and 1283 AD. There are an estimated 2,000 structures, though many have yet to be examined.

The buildings consist of trenches and mounds, thought to be fortifications or homes. Some researchers believe the lost city could have had up to 60,000 inhabitants, more than some European cities at the time.

The existence of the city defies that notion that advanced civilization could not thrive in the Amazon due to the harsh living conditions and poor soils.

To read more, click here.

New Archaeological Discoveries in Roraima

Posted by Rachel No Comments
Sep 29 2009

The Brazilian Northeast is known for its wealth of archaeological sites, and new sites have been found in the state of Roraima. While local archaeologists face a lack of financial resources, they have found some interesting artifacts.

Photo: Ari Silva/Globo

The latest discovery dates back 4,000 years, and now forms part of 80 sites in Roraima, which are among the least known in the country.  About 1,200 years ago, the area was populated by the Rupununi tribe, which occupied the area near the border with Guyana. According to archaeological evidence, this tribe still lived in the region when the Europeans first arrived, and traded with them (some artifacts found are of European origin). Some of the evidence includes funeral urns, along with personal objects buried with them, as well as cave drawings.

While tribes in the savana region of the state are thought to be related to Caribbean tribes, the tribes in the south of the state are thought to be related to tribes from the Rio Negro region, though this theory is yet to be confirmed.

New Species of Fish Discovered in Brazil

Posted by Rachel No Comments
Sep 22 2009

This week, a new species of fish was discovered off the coast of Praia do Forte in Bahia, and is now being analyzed in Bahia to determine more details about the creature.

The fish was found floating dead in the water, and was caught and brought on board a research boat.  The strange-looking fish weighs 40 kilos and measures 1.8 meters in length. It has tiny, sharp teeth, and oddly, no scales. It is largely made up of body fat, with gelatin-like skin.

Researchers at the Federal University of Bahia will preserve the fish in formaldehyde and will also put the fish on display at the school’s Zoology Museum after it is analyzed.

Check out the BBC report and the Globo report on the new discovery!

New Subspecies of Monkey Discovered in Amazon

Posted by Rachel No Comments
Jul 20 2009

Brazilian scientists have announced the discovery of a new subspecies of monkey, the Saguinus fuscicollis mura, discovered in the Amazon. Though it was originally spotted by scientists in 2007, the discovery was just published in the International Journal of Primatology last month.

The very small subspecies, which usually weighs just 350 grams and stands 23 centimeters tall, was found along the BR-319, a defunct highway that connects Porto Velho, in Rondônia, with Manaus, in Amazônia. The monkey’s habitat is located between the Madeira River and Purus River, right near the abandoned road.

The subspecies is named after the Mura tribe of indigenous Brazilians who live in the area. It eats mostly insects and fruit, and can live in dense forest as well as open areas.

However, the Brazilian government plans to start reconstructing the nearby highway as a part of a nationwide development plan. Also, there are several industrial plants being constructed in the area. Scientists fear that the newly discovered monkey could be in danger of disappearing quickly, if its habitat is endangered by development.

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