RIO DE JANEIRO - The guaraná (Paullinia cupana), the famous bush from the Brazilian Amazon, is the first species of the region subjected to genome research, with the goal being to unlock the secrets of its metabolism, and to improve the productivity and quality of the fruit.

Rich in caffeine, the guaraná fruit rose to international fame through soft drinks based on its seeds.

The two-year genome research project, to begin in November, has the financial backing of the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology and of local development institutions.

The scientists involved in the project point out that they will not decipher all of the gene sequences, but will focus on those that determine certain characteristics of the guaraná.

HAVANA - The world of sounds made by birds, amphibians, mammals and insects in the eastern region of Cuba will be saved for posterity in recordings made using the latest technology, an effort involving Cuban and U.S. scientists.

The Field Museum of Chicago and Cornell University's Sound Laboratory donated the equipment to set up a recording lab at the Museum of Natural History in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba.

Experts from the two U.S. institutions also trained Cuban specialists in recording techniques. The island's participation in the program also includes the Eastern Center for Ecosystems and Biodiversity.

SAN JOSE - Five Central American countries will invest 4.6 million dollars in a regional project aimed at HIV/AIDS prevention, backed by the Central American Economic Integration Bank (BCIE).

The funds, which will focus on educational campaigns, will by donated by the German government and administered by BCIE, the region's main financial integration body, and by the Agency for Development, its German counterpart.

The initiatives for preventing HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases will be carried out in the BCIE member countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

CARACAS - Researchers at Venezuela's National Center for Phytogenetic Resource Conservation are dedicating themselves to preserving the germplasm (seeds, samples or entire plants) of numerous species considered valuable to this South American country.

The center, in the state of Aragua, gathers genetic material and stores it ex situ, that is, away from its natural environment. The scientists are focusing on endangered species from areas with degraded ecosystems, or with medicinal or economic value.

The cacao bush, the Caracas walnut, the pineapple and medicinal plants are the stars of the institution's 11 projects.

SANTIAGO - The National Association of Rural and Indigenous Women of Chile this month set up a committee for the defense of native seeds in order to ensure that the authorities recognize autochthonous flora as heritage of humanity and promote the use of local plants in medicine and food.

The committee seeks to preserve indigenous ancestral knowledge about the use of native species' seeds and to prevent their extinction as well as "bio-piracy" by transnational pharmaceutical corporations.

María Millalón Mitor, of the Huilliche community (the coastal branch of the Mapuches), traveled 1,20 km to inaugurate the committee, making the journey from her home in Huaipulli in the southern island of Chiloé to Santiago.