Paleopiracy revives colonialism spat over Brazil’s fossil protections

Brazil has been home to countless groundbreaking paleontological studies in its history, yet so many of these fossils have been smuggled abroad to rich countries, yet to return

paleopiracy fossil discoveries — Almost 60 percent of papers concerning paleontological material found in the Araripe Basin were led by foreign scientists

Apr 17, 2022 10:28 6 min read (Updated: Apr 17, 2022 10:29)

With a number of renowned archeological sites across its territory, Brazil is a crucial location for paleontological research. Yet, when examining the data, a vast number of scientific publications on fossil discoveries in Brazil are authored by foreigners who have no links to Brazilian research institutions. And, despite legislation forbidding the export of holotype specimens — fossils used to describe a given species — from Brazil, large quantities of these fossils are now housed in museums abroad.

This phenomenon, often called “paleopiracy,” has been a known problem in Brazil for some time. But a recent scientific paper shows that the...

Close search

Load more results

Paleopiracy revives colonialism spat over Brazil’s fossil protections

Brazil has been home to countless groundbreaking paleontological studies in its history, yet so many of these fossils have been smuggled abroad to rich countries, yet to return

Less expensive than a coffee

Enjoy any plan of your choice for US$1 for the first month

Brazil’s gubernatorial races show the power of incumbency bias

Incumbency bias tends to be strong in Brazil, and it has returned in force this year, with 12 of the 19 sitting governors running for re-election getting outright wins

Why did Brazilian polls get the election so wrong?

President Jair Bolsonaro outperformed the expectations of all major pollsters. On Sunday, he said he "beat the lie"

Bolsonarism thrives in Congress

Sunday's legislative elections were a victory for Bolsonarism. Key government figures won a seat in Congress, and the president’s party got the biggest bench in both houses

The roller-coaster of vote counting in Brazil

The way votes are counted in Brazil means it is not uncommon for the ultimately winning candidate to be lagging behind their opponent in the first hours after polls close

Brazil’s presidential election may hinge on Minas Gerais

The second-most populous Brazilian state is a key battleground in the presidential race. Bolsonaro won it in 2018 but lost it on Sunday. Can he reclaim Minas Gerais?

UN: Brazil abstains on Putin’s annexation of Ukrainian provinces

Positive jobs report brings good news for Bolsonaro

Brazil adds more jobs, but figures are underwhelming

Embraer delivers first units of new-generation radar to the Brazilian Army

Lower fuel prices will continue to push Brazilian inflation down

Off-season flu spike in São Paulo sounds alarm for the rest of the country

Health Ministry yet to publish plans to vaccinate young children

Brazil waives Covid vaccine mandates for travelers

Brazilian Covid vaccine to be tested in humans in 2023

Anvisa lifts mask mandate for planes and airports

Military and accounts court yet to publish electoral inspection results

Minas Gerais governor pledges support to Bolsonaro in the coming days

Congressional vote champions hail from both the left and the right

Brazilian markets waits for signals from both Lula and Bolsonaro

Governors of 12 Brazilian states won re-election in the first round

Market roundup: Brazilian neobanks face regulatory risk

Even Nubank, Latin America's largest digital bank, had 7 percent of its revenues coming from interchange fees between July 2021 and June 2022, and will be hit hard by new changes

Brazilians are drowning in debt, but rates will remain high

Financial data shows that families are struggling to make ends meet, which is particularly dangerous considering that borrowing costs will remain elevated

Brazil’s milk price hike should come to an end

Milk prices have become prohibitive for millions of families since the pandemic broke out. But experts believe they will start to go down in the next few months

Market roundup: 2022 has been kind to Petrobras

Despite a highly volatile market scenario, Petrobras shares remain positive this year

The costs of Brazil’s projected primary surplus

The country is set to record a primary surplus this year for the first time since 2013, but it will come with punishing budget cuts and spending chaos

Tech roundup: How to access Big Tech user data for investigations in Brazil

The country's top court will decide whether a legal cooperation agreement with the U.S. should be the main avenue for receiving user data from tech giants to be used as evidence in criminal investigations

What WhatsApp has done to combat Brazilian election misinformation

Virtually all Brazilian smartphones have WhatsApp installed. And the messaging app has for years been used as a tool to spread disinformation

Auto tech startups try to break through Brazil’s EV market

With big manufacturers sleeping on Brazil amid post-pandemic hangovers, domestic startups are hoping to seize the opportunity in the electric motorcycle market

Tech roundup: Brazil to test secondary markets for startups

Using its sandbox, the Brazilian Securities Commission (CVM) is testing a secondary market for securities issued or represented by tokens

Political discussions migrated from social media to messaging apps

Engagement around political candidates has fallen on major social media platforms, and it seems like these discussions are now taking place in a different venue

Explaining Brazil #216: What to keep an eye out for on Election Day

We've reached the home stretch of the Brazilian 2022 election. On Sunday, October 2, Brazilians will hit the polls. Here's what you should keep an eye out for

Explaining Brazil #215: What if Bolsonaro really tries to stage a coup?

President Bolsonaro has hinted that he could try to stage a coup if he loses the upcoming election. If he really pulls that trigger, then what?

Explaining Brazil #214: The broad front gets broader

Marina Silva, who until recently was highly critical of Lula and his Workers' Party, has just endorsed the former president. For her, democrats' main goal should be unseating Jair Bolsonaro

1822 Special, Ep. 4: Pomp under circumstance

In this fourth and final episode, we shed light on the multiple "Independence Days" across Brazil, each with its own significance

1822 Special, Ep. 3: The pacifist myth of Brazilian independence

In the third episode of our special series, we look at Brazil's wars of independence, showing that constituting this new country was not as bloodless as many believe.

Hunger is not just a crisis today. It will hurt Brazil for decades to come

Studies show that malnourished youngsters face a series of physical, social, and mental issues, making it hard for them to ever reach their full professional potential in adulthood

Literacy learning drops among Brazilian schoolchildren

New data from standardized tests is the latest to point out the damage caused by Covid disruptions to Brazilians' learning process — which should have long-lasting consequences

Murder of 14-year-old in Bahia highlights centuries-old indigenous land struggle

Residents of the Comexatibá and Barra Velha indigenous lands face the constant threat of violence from local farmers, and government inactivity has denied them protection

Campaign seeks to stop vote-buying in drought-ridden Northeast

In a region hampered by hunger and thirst, local politicians often seek to negotiate votes from the public by promising supplies of food and water, only furthering clientelism

Death of the world’s loneliest man spells the end of an entire people

The Man of the Hole, an isolated indigenous man who has been tracked and protected by the government for decades in the Amazon, has died — spelling the end of his people

Bolsonaro’s policies for the environment gave new meaning to ‘scorched earth’

Approaching the end of his presidential term, Jair Bolsonaro has overseen an environmental policy marred by widespread forest destruction, reduced oversight, and incentive for environmental crime

Hundreds of environmental offenders will run for office in Brazil’s elections

Data from Ibama and electoral courts shows that 181 officials running for election this year have received fines for environmental infractions — as have a vast number of President Jair Bolsonaro's campaign donors

Massive Amazon protected area ‘hanging by a thread’ due to illegal dirt road

A new illegal road seeks to link two Brazilian deforestation hotspots and would cut the Xingu Socio-Environmental Corridor in two

Brazil’s gold trade is toxic, but it doesn’t have to be that way

Researchers have only been able to confirm the legal origin of around one-third of the gold mined in Brazil, with loose oversight (based on good faith) leaving the door open to abuse

New decree intensifies tensions in the carbon credits market

The Bolsonaro government has issued a decree pushing back carbon credit targets for fuel distributors, and causing discontent in the biofuels sector

Sex scandal paves way for political changes at the IDB