Carib Scope

分类： science

  • “Botanical Bridges 2026” opens in Santo Domingo to advance biodiversity cooperation

    “Botanical Bridges 2026” opens in Santo Domingo to advance biodiversity cooperation

    In Santo Domingo, the Dr. Rafael M. Moscoso National Botanical Garden has marked a major milestone for global botanical science by officially inaugurating the international congress “Botanical Bridges 2026”, an initiative centered on advancing cross-border biodiversity conservation and strengthening collaborative research across the Latin American and Caribbean region. The opening ceremony, hosted at the venue’s iconic Domus Grande space, wove together vibrant cultural performances, formal addresses from leading national institutions, and opening academic dialogues, all framed to celebrate and center Dominican environmental and cultural heritage.

    Throughout the inaugural proceedings, participating institutional representatives repeatedly underscored the urgent need for coordinated action among botanical organizations worldwide to address accelerating biodiversity loss. Lina Ramírez, a representative of the regional botanical garden network, told attendees that coordinated, cross-institutional joint efforts are not just beneficial, but essential, to successfully protect at-risk ecosystems and guarantee that natural resources can be used responsibly and sustainably for future generations.

    For his part, Pedro Suárez, director of the host Dr. Rafael M. Moscoso National Botanical Garden, reaffirmed the institution’s longstanding dedication to advancing original botanical research and expanding public environmental education. He also highlighted that the timing of the congress holds special meaning, as it coincides with the garden’s 50th year of operations, research, and community engagement.

    A key emotional and ceremonial highlight of the opening event was a formal tribute to Brígido Peguero, a pioneering Dominican biologist whose decades of work have fundamentally expanded global understanding of the Dominican Republic’s unique native flora. The ceremony also drew a roster of high-profile stakeholders, including Dominican First Lady Raquel Arbaje and Environment Minister Paíno Henríquez, alongside dozens of leading academic researchers and international delegation representatives from botanical institutions across the globe.

    Moving forward, “Botanical Bridges 2026” will operate as an ongoing, open platform for scientific knowledge sharing and the cultivation of long-term cross-border partnerships, all aimed at advancing evidence-based biodiversity protection and inclusive sustainable development across the region.

  • AdeKUS eert statistiekpionier Iwan Sno met eredoctoraat

    AdeKUS eert statistiekpionier Iwan Sno met eredoctoraat

    On April 18, Anton de Kom University of Suriname (AdeKUS) awarded an honorary doctorate to Iwan Aschwin Sno, MSc, honoring his decades of extraordinary contributions to advancing statistical science and data-informed policy development across Suriname and the broader Caribbean region. The formal award ceremony was followed by Sno’s public lecture titled *The Importance of Good Data and Good Statistics*, where he emphasized that high-quality, reliable numerical data forms an irreplaceable foundation for evidence-based public policy making.

    Sno’s professional career in official statistics spans more than 30 years, 22 of which he served as the director of Suriname’s General Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Under his leadership, the country’s entire national statistical system underwent major expansion and institutional strengthening. Key milestones during his tenure include the successful execution of multiple national population censuses, the restart of critical national socioeconomic surveys, the establishment of the ABS’s first dedicated research department, and the introduction of a fixed annual publication calendar for statistical outputs. These reforms have vastly improved transparency and predictability for public and private sector users of national statistical data.

    Beyond Suriname’s national borders, Sno has built a prominent reputation across the global and regional statistical communities. He served 16 years as a member of the United Nations Statistical Commission, holding senior leadership roles including vice-chair and rapporteur. He also contributed directly to developing regional statistical standards, most notably the CARICOM Code of Good Statistical Practices, and co-founded the Caribbean Association of Professional Statisticians to promote professional excellence across the region.

    Sno’s impact also extends deeply to academic capacity building. He has held teaching positions at both AdeKUS and the University of the West Indies, and played a key role in designing graduate level programs in research methods and applied statistics. Through his teaching and mentorship, he has shaped generations of new students, researchers, and public policy leaders across the Caribbean.

    In announcing the honorary degree, AdeKUS officials highlighted that the award recognizes Sno’s lifelong, sustained commitment to the advancement of statistical science, evidence-based governance, and public service that has benefited both Suriname and the wider regional community.

  • Hurricane Hunters Visit Belize 46 Days Before Season

    Hurricane Hunters Visit Belize 46 Days Before Season

    Forty-six days before the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season officially kicks off, a unique piece of storm-tracking infrastructure has arrived in Belize as a key stop on the annual Caribbean Hurricane Awareness Tour: the Hurricane Hunters, the specialized flying crews that collect irreplaceable inside-storm data for forecasters across the globe. The rare on-the-ground visit gives Belizean officials, students and ordinary residents an up-close look at the high-stakes work that saves thousands of lives every year, coming at a critical time as the low-lying coastal nation prepares for another year of storm risk in the Atlantic hurricane belt.

    Unlike standard commercial or research aircraft, the Hurricane Hunters’ planes are purpose-built to do what most pilots would avoid at all costs: fly directly into the center of developing and mature hurricanes to gather real-time atmospheric data that satellite technology simply cannot capture. This data is sent directly to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, which partners with local meteorological services across the Caribbean and Central America to generate accurate storm forecasts.

    Jordan Mentzer, a pilot with the Hurricane Hunters, joked that people often call the crew crazy for choosing to fly into deadly storms, but decades of institutional knowledge have turned the risky mission into a carefully regulated, safe operation. “We’ve been doing this for a long time, so guys and gals before me have taught us how to operate as safely as possible, what to avoid, and how to navigate even the most powerful systems,” Mentzer explained. Missions can stretch more than 12 hours, with crews patrolling storms from the Gulf of Mexico to the central Caribbean, regions that regularly bring storm impacts to Belize.

    Robbie Berg, a warning coordination meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center, compared the difference between satellite data and Hurricane Hunter data to judging a steak by its grill marks versus cutting into it to check its doneness. “Satellites can show us the outside of a storm, but we can’t know what’s happening in the core until the Hurricane Hunters cut right into it,” Berg explained. That inside data on air pressure, wind speed, and storm structure feeds into advanced computer forecasting models, allowing forecasters to predict a storm’s path, intensity and size with far greater accuracy over the critical five-day forecast window. The National Hurricane Center coordinates closely with Belize’s meteorological service to issue timely watches and warnings for the country and other Caribbean nations, a process that depends entirely on the data collected by these flights.

    Ronald Gordon, Belize’s chief meteorologist, emphasized just how critical this data is for the nation, which sits squarely in the path of most Atlantic hurricanes that form each year. “The data these crews collect goes straight into our complex computer models, helping us better predict how a hurricane will strengthen and where it will go,” Gordon said. He also used the visit as an opportunity to remind Belize residents that the 2026 hurricane season is just weeks away, and public preparedness should already be underway.

    Beyond improving forecasting and public awareness, the visit carries a second, equally important goal: inspiring the next generation of Belizean STEM professionals. The Caribbean Hurricane Awareness Tour only stops at three countries this year, making Belize’s inclusion a rare honor, according to Minister of Public Service and Disaster Risk Management Henry Charles Usher. “They came from Honduras before this, and they will head to Puerto Rico after,” Usher noted. “This is really about inspiring young Belizeans to pursue careers as scientists, pilots, meteorologists and engineers — that’s exactly what we need moving forward.”

    Local organizers opened tour sign-ups publicly via social media to avoid bias, allowing schools across the country to reserve time slots to visit the aircraft. Dozens of students have already toured the one-of-a-kind flying laboratory, getting a first-hand look at the technology that powers life-saving storm forecasts, and more groups are scheduled to visit throughout the day. Local officials hope the experience sparks long-term interest in meteorology, atmospheric science and aviation among Belize’s youth, building a local workforce that can continue to lead storm preparedness and forecasting for decades to come.

    As the countdown to hurricane season continues, the Hurricane Hunters’ visit serves as a reminder that accurate forecasting and early preparation are the most powerful tools to reduce hurricane risk. Thanks to the work of these brave crews, Belize enters the 2026 season better prepared and more informed than ever before.

  • Caribbean initiative advances sweet potato production and genetic conservation

    Caribbean initiative advances sweet potato production and genetic conservation

    Across five Caribbean nations, a collaborative regional initiative focused on upgrading sweet potato cultivation and protecting critical plant genetic resources is hitting key milestones, bringing farmers, researchers, and agricultural authorities together under a shared framework for climate-resilient food production. The Next Generation Sweet Potato Production in the Caribbean Project, now in its fourth year of implementation, has built an expanding Community of Practice uniting stakeholders from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, with ongoing technical guidance from leading global agricultural experts. The project is led by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), in formal partnership with national agriculture ministries across three participating countries and the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI).

    A core recent achievement of the initiative has been the completion of a comprehensive multi-session training program designed to build technical capacity among regional agricultural professionals. Delivered jointly with the International Potato Center (CIP), the program combined theoretical virtual learning and in-person field practicals, engaging 73 participants drawn from academic institutions, government technical agencies, and both public and private agricultural enterprises. The training curriculum centered on building proficiency in three key skills: accurate identification of distinct sweet potato varieties, formal classification of genetic variants, and standardized documentation of genetic accessions for long-term conservation. This training forms a foundational pillar of the project’s broader regional strategy, which aims to reinforce genetic diversity of sweet potato populations, upgrade regional seed distribution systems, and enhance the climate resilience of Caribbean sweet potato farming operations.

    Participants completed five interactive virtual modules that covered the 30 globally standardized descriptors used to differentiate key agronomic traits in sweet potatoes, ranging from leaf and vine morphology to root structure and nutritional characteristics. Following the virtual coursework, trainees applied their new knowledge in hands-on field exercises held across four participating countries, bridging the gap between academic learning and on-the-ground agricultural practice. In Antigua and Barbuda, national agricultural authorities have already documented 73 unique sweet potato genetic accessions through the project, with 19 additional improved varieties set to be introduced via collaboration with CIP to expand the country’s genetic resource base.

    Beyond technical training and genetic mapping, the initiative prioritizes long-term capacity building for regional agricultural workforces, equipping professionals with the tools to properly identify and preserve valuable plant genetic material for future use. For smallholder and commercial farmers across the region, the project supports adoption of improved, climate-resilient sweet potato varieties that deliver more consistent yields and better agronomic performance under changing climate conditions. When combined, these interconnected efforts are projected to significantly strengthen regional food and nutrition security, a critical priority for small island developing states across the Caribbean that face disproportionate climate risk.

    Funding for the initiative is provided by the Benefit-sharing Fund of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which is administered by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with additional financial backing from the European Union. As the project enters its fourth year, it continues to foster cross-border collaboration and knowledge sharing, working to establish a durable regional network focused on advancing sustainable sweet potato production across the Caribbean for decades to come.

  • Global warming causes Colombian glacier to disappear

    Global warming causes Colombian glacier to disappear

    In a stark new reminder of climate change’s accelerating impact on global cryosphere, a once-massive Andean glacier in northeastern Colombia has melted away entirely, leaving nothing but bare rock where thick ice stood for centuries. The Cerros de la Plaza glacier, part of the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy glacial chain high in the Colombian Andes, has been officially confirmed as vanished by Colombia’s Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM), with the announcement made public last week.

    Analysis of satellite tracking data confirms the glacier’s steady decline: starting from a 5-square-kilometer (1.93-square-mile) expanse in the 19th century, the ice sheet shrank gradually through the 2010s, disappearing for good by March 2026. For decades, climate scientists have warned that rising global temperatures driven by greenhouse gas emissions are eroding mountain glaciers at an unprecedented rate, and the loss of Cerros de la Plaza marks another milestone in this accelerating trend.

    In an official statement following the declaration, IDEAM emphasized that climate change is no longer a distant future threat—it is already reshaping terrestrial landscapes and disrupting natural systems across the globe. “Climate change is a reality that is already transforming our territories. And what is at stake is not only the landscape, but the very balance of these ecosystems,” the agency noted.

    The Colombian Andes are recognized as one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, hosting a wide array of unique species including Andean condors and the vulnerable spectacled bear, an endemic mammal found only in South American mountain ranges. The Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, whose highest peaks rise more than 5,000 meters above sea level, was previously one of only six intact glacial systems remaining in Colombia. Colombia’s Ministry of Environment reports that the country’s total glacial ice coverage has plummeted by 90% since the 19th century, a decline that mirrors glacial loss across the tropical Andes.

    Beyond their visual and ecological value, Andean glaciers serve a critical practical role for human and natural communities alike. They act as natural freshwater reservoirs, feeding rivers and groundwater systems that supply drinking water, support irrigation for agricultural crops, sustain native fish populations, and underpin countless local livelihoods across the mountainous region. The loss of Cerros de la Plaza is expected to put additional pressure on these already strained water systems in the coming years.

    This latest glacier loss aligns with broader global climate trends: both the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and Berkeley Earth, a U.S.-based non-profit climate research organization, confirm that the past 11 years have been the hottest 11 years recorded in modern human history. A 2023 study published in the peer-reviewed journal *Science* delivered a sobering projection: even if the world meets the Paris Agreement’s most ambitious target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, roughly half of all glaciers on Earth will have melted completely by the end of the 21st century.

  • Sudden temperature drop caused rare hailstorm in Bayahíbe

    Sudden temperature drop caused rare hailstorm in Bayahíbe

    On a Monday in Bayahíbe, an unexpected hailstorm caught local residents off guard, and new analysis from researchers at the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) has pinpointed the rare atmospheric conditions that drove the extreme weather event. The research team confirms that unusual atmospheric behavior was at the core of the storm, which brought an unprecedented 12°C temperature plunge over just 45 minutes.

    According to the study’s peer-reviewed findings, the hailstorm formed when a mass of cold air collided directly with a warm, moisture-saturated air mass sitting over the coastal region. Between 3:00 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. local time, this clash dragged temperatures down from a balmy 32°C to a cool 20°C. The stark temperature contrast between the two air masses generated powerful upward air currents within the developing storm clouds. These strong updrafts lifted tiny water droplets high into the freezing upper layers of the cloud, where the droplets froze into ice pellets that grew into hailstones before falling to the ground.

    The data behind these conclusions was collected from a network of environmental sensors and a dedicated local weather station, placed in Bayahíbe as part of a broader national climate adaptation research initiative. Beyond explaining the hailstorm, the monitoring network has also detected shifting rainfall patterns across the region that deviate from historical norms. As of the current point in 2026, total accumulated rainfall in Bayahíbe has already hit 1,392.9 millimeters – far exceeding the full historical annual average of 970 millimeters. The month of April alone recorded 113.8 millimeters of rain, signaling a significant departure from long-term trends.

    This local research effort is designed specifically to boost climate resilience for at-risk coastal communities like Bayahíbe, which are disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of shifting weather patterns and increasing extreme weather events. By generating granular, hyper-local climate data, the initiative aims to provide policymakers and community leaders with evidence-based insights to support more effective planning, disaster preparedness, and adaptation decision-making. The hailstorm analysis underscores a key takeaway: targeted local climate research is an essential tool to help communities anticipate, prepare for, and respond to the growing frequency of extreme weather events driven by changing global climate conditions.

  • INTEC’s Apollo 27 wins three awards at NASA Rover Challenge 2026

    INTEC’s Apollo 27 wins three awards at NASA Rover Challenge 2026

    A student engineering team from the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (Intec) has cemented its status as a global standout in aerospace innovation, claiming three additional awards at the 2026 NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge and pushing its cumulative haul of recognitions in the prestigious event to 15.

    The annual NASA competition, which invites collegiate and high school teams from around the world to design, build, and test human-powered rovers capable of navigating harsh, extraterrestrial-like terrain, serves as a launching pad for the next generation of space exploration engineers. For Apollo 27, this year’s results extend a remarkable streak of success that has already made the Dominican team one of the most decorated in the event’s history.

    Among the 2026 honors, the team secured the Team Spirit Award for the fourth consecutive year, a testament to its consistent commitment to collaboration, sportsmanship, and community among participating groups. The two additional prizes—the Industry STEM Engagement Award and the Social Media Award—extend recognition beyond pure engineering performance, highlighting Apollo 27’s far-reaching work to inspire public interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics across the Dominican Republic and beyond.

    In a new milestone for the program, the team also unveiled a cutting-edge lightweight rover that tipped the scales at only 126 pounds. The design breaks Apollo 27’s own previous record for the lightest functional rover the team has built, underscoring the group’s relentless focus on efficiency and innovative engineering. The achievement puts the advanced technical skills of young Dominican STEM talent on full display to a global audience of space industry leaders and engineering peers.

  • El Niño Expected to Suppress 2026 Hurricane Activity, Forecasters warn against complacency

    El Niño Expected to Suppress 2026 Hurricane Activity, Forecasters warn against complacency

    An upcoming shift in Pacific Ocean climate patterns is projected to curb hurricane formation across the Atlantic basin during the 2026 hurricane season, according to an early seasonal forecast released by the Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project, a leading research group focused on tropical storm activity. Helmed by lead researcher Philip J. Klotzbach, the new analysis lays out a clear trajectory of changing ocean and atmospheric conditions that point to a slower-than-usual storm season.

    Right now, the Pacific is under the influence of weak La Niña conditions, the cool phase of the cyclical El Niño-Southern Oscillation. But the research team projects this pattern will unwind in the coming months, transitioning to an El Niño event that is likely to strengthen to at least moderate intensity by the August-to-October peak of the Atlantic hurricane season.

    This climate shift carries outsized implications for Atlantic hurricane activity because of El Niño’s well-documented suppressing effect on storm development. El Niño, defined by sustained above-average sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern Pacific, drives an increase in vertical wind shear across the Atlantic basin. Vertical wind shear occurs when upper-level and lower-level winds differ significantly in speed or direction, and it acts to disrupt the cohesive circular structure required for tropical disturbances to organize and intensify into hurricanes. With stronger wind shear in place, most developing storms struggle to gain strength, cutting down on the total number of hurricanes that form in a given season.

    Based on the expected influence of this developing El Niño, the CSU team is projecting below-average activity for the 2026 season. Their current forecast calls for 13 named storms, six hurricanes, and two major hurricanes (storms classified as Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale).

    Already, observational data confirms the Pacific is on track for this transition. Sea surface temperatures across the basin have been rising steadily, with key atmospheric and oceanic drivers including intense westerly wind bursts and growing ocean heat content pushing the region out of its extended La Niña phase. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has independently backed this projection, estimating an 80% probability that El Niño will be in place by the peak of the 2026 hurricane season, further strengthening expectations of a less active season.

    Despite this broad consensus, the research team has emphasized that significant uncertainty remains around just how strong the El Niño event will ultimately become. The magnitude of El Niño directly correlates to how much wind shear will increase, meaning a weaker-than-expected event could leave hurricane activity higher than current projections.

    Even if the forecast holds and fewer storms form overall, experts warn that coastal and island communities cannot afford to lower their guard. Seasonal forecasts only offer a broad overview of expected total activity across the entire basin; they cannot predict weeks or months in advance where individual storms will form or whether any single storm will make landfall in a populated area. As the 2026 season approaches, even nations at high risk like Antigua and Barbuda could still face a devastating landfalling hurricane, regardless of the lower overall number of projected storms.

    In line with this risk assessment, emergency management officials across hurricane-prone regions are urging all residents and communities to complete preparedness plans well ahead of the season’s start, irrespective of the early forecast calling for below-average activity.

  • Artemis II-astronauten veilig terug op aarde na historische reis rond de maan

    Artemis II-astronauten veilig terug op aarde na historische reis rond de maan

    # Artemis II Crew Safely Returns to Earth, Marking Historic First Crewed Lunar Voyage in Over 50 Years

    On April 11, NASA announced the successful completion of the Artemis II mission, as the four-person crew of the Orion capsule *Integrity* splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California on Friday, capping a nearly 10-day groundbreaking journey beyond Earth. This mission marks the first time humans have traveled around the Moon in more than half a century, breaking multiple space travel records and clearing a critical milestone for NASA’s ambitious deep space exploration program.

    The Artemis II crew — commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — launched from Cape Canaveral on April 1. Over the course of the mission, they completed two orbits around Earth before conducting a close flyby of the Moon’s far side, passing just 6,400 kilometers above the lunar surface. At their farthest point, the crew traveled 407,000 kilometers from Earth, farther than any human mission has ever ventured from our home planet.

    Re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere was the highest-risk phase of the entire mission. The capsule slammed into the atmosphere at 32 times the speed of sound, subjecting its heat shield to extreme temperatures reaching 2,760 degrees Celsius. A six-minute radio blackout, a normal consequence of atmospheric ionization during high-speed re-entry, paused communications between the crew and mission control before contact was restored. Parachutes deployed as planned to slow the capsule’s descent, resulting in what NASA commentators called a “perfect bull’s-eye splashdown.”

    Shortly after landing, Wiseman confirmed via radio that the capsule was stable and all four crew members were in good health. Joint recovery teams from NASA and the U.S. Navy secured the capsule and extracted the astronauts within two hours of splashdown. The crew was then transferred via rescue raft and helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha for initial medical checks, before traveling to Houston to reunite with their families.

    Beyond its technical achievements, the Artemis II mission is a historic milestone for international and inclusive space exploration. Hansen is the first Canadian astronaut to participate in a lunar mission, while Glover is the first Black astronaut and Koch the first woman to join a crewed lunar voyage. The mission comes four years after the successful uncrewed Artemis I test flight in 2022, and serves as a critical validation of Orion’s capsule technology, heat shield, and life support systems ahead of planned crewed lunar landings.

    NASA’s Artemis program was developed to return humans to the lunar surface by 2028, and to lay the groundwork for future crewed missions to Mars. The program’s next step, Artemis III, is scheduled for next year and will include a crewed docking test in Earth orbit ahead of the first attempted crewed lunar landing in more than 50 years. The successful completion of Artemis II has cemented confidence in the program’s technical readiness, though challenges remain: development of the lunar lander has faced repeated delays, partially driven by NASA budget cuts that have reduced funding for scientific missions and cut the agency’s workforce by nearly 20%.

    To overcome these obstacles, NASA is collaborating with commercial space partners including SpaceX and Blue Origin, alongside space agencies from Europe, Canada, and Japan to deliver on the program’s goals. Global public interest in the mission has been unprecedented: more than 3 million viewers tuned in to watch the live broadcast of the splashdown. Former U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated the crew on his social media platform, calling the voyage “spectacular” and the landing “perfect.”

    The safe return of the Artemis II crew confirms decades of technological progress in human spaceflight, and stands as a critical stepping stone toward returning humans to the lunar surface and eventually sending the first crewed missions to Mars.

  • Progress reported on natural treatments for post-stroke conditions and skin diseases

    Progress reported on natural treatments for post-stroke conditions and skin diseases

    In a high-profile meeting this week between Cuban leadership and top national health scientists, the National Center for Scientific Research (CNIC) has unveiled encouraging clinical trial results for two lines of new natural-product based therapies targeting post-stroke cognitive impairment and common dermatological conditions, advancing the institution’s decades-long legacy of innovative biomedical research.

    The presentation was delivered to Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Party’s Central Committee and President of the Republic of Cuba, during the country’s regular consultative exchanges between government leadership and scientific health experts. Per Dr. Sarahí Mendoza Castaño, Director of Research, Development, and Innovation at CNIC, all the developed products have already demonstrated clear efficacy and safety in trials. These developments will not only expand Cuba’s domestic portfolio of accessible medical treatments for its population but also position the country to compete in the global pharmaceutical market.

    The most high-profile outcome shared was from a clinical trial investigating the combination of policosanol, the active ingredient in CNIC’s iconic PPG first developed by the center in the late 1980s, paired with a low 81-milligram daily dose of aspirin, for the treatment of post-ischemic-stroke cognitive impairment. The 12-month controlled study enrolled 100 male and female patients with an average age of 69, all living with post-stroke cognitive decline, and split participants into two separate treatment groups for comparative analysis.

    Researchers recorded measurable, significant improvement in cognitive function as early as 45 days after the start of treatment across both groups. “With this study, we demonstrate for the first time that long-term therapy with 20 milligrams of policosanol and a daily dose of 81 milligrams of ASA improves both functional recovery and post-stroke cognitive impairment in patients who have suffered an ischemic stroke,” explained Dr. Javier Sánchez López of Cuba’s Center for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

    The neurologist noted that the initial results open doors for expanded use of the combination therapy down the line. “This is a promising result, and we are preparing to use this therapy in the future for vascular parkinsonism, because policosanol clearly protects the vascular tree; therefore, in any condition involving this type of damage, its effect will be beneficial. That is our hypothesis, and the results have been encouraging in this initial study.”

    Given that ischemic stroke is a major contributing factor to late-life dementia, Sánchez López emphasized the critical public health value of this breakthrough. As global life expectancy continues to rise, cognitive decline has become an increasingly common burden on older populations. “Any product, any trial that points to an improvement is welcomed as a relief, knowing that we want to live longer, but also with a better quality of life, and even more so by using natural products, which are highly reliable and safe for medical use,” he added.

    Alongside the stroke therapy research, CNIC also shared new data on dermatological treatments based on ozonized sunflower oil (OSO). Researchers conducted trials testing the efficacy of OSO cream paired with specialized sulfur-based AGO soaps for multiple common skin conditions. One trial focused on acne patients, enrolling 75 participants (average age 24, majority female) split into three groups: one receiving only OSO soap, one only OSO cream, and the third a combined therapy of both products.

    All three groups recorded clinical improvement, higher assessment scores, and better quality of life after treatment, with the combined therapy delivering notably stronger results than either monotherapy. CNIC plans to continue testing these dermatological products with larger patient cohorts and longer treatment periods to confirm the initial positive outcomes. A separate eight-week trial of OSO soap paired with an alcohol-based anti-inflammatory OSO cream for chronic dermatitis, which enrolled 90 patients, also returned promising preliminary results, which are currently under peer review. Additional promising early data was also shared for rectal ozone therapy as a treatment for persistent joint pain following the acute phase of chikungunya infection.

    President Díaz-Canel praised the new achievements from CNIC, an institution founded in 1965 by former Cuban leader Fidel Castro Ruz that holds the distinction of being the founding core of Cuba’s network of revolutionary scientific institutions, evolving from the original Scientific Pole into today’s Biocubafarma. The center’s latest breakthroughs confirm that six decades after its founding, CNIC remains fully committed to addressing high-priority biomedical and technological challenges that advance Cuba’s economic and social welfare, while developing cutting-edge, globally competitive pharmaceutical products.