Stars of South American science

摘要

Like the night sky, the overall sweep of science in South America can look pretty dark. Brazil is the only country on the continent that spends more than 1% of its gross domestic product on research and development, and even that investment sits far below what other countries of similar means are ploughing into science. But take a closer look at the continent's scientific enterprise, and bright spots emerge. At the start of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, with billions of people focusing on South America, Nature examines a part of the world that has spent too long on the sidelines of science. A graphic tour on page 202 details the inputs and products of research and development on the continent. The region faces many challenges in terms of building a strong scientific workforce and boosting resources, but investment and publications are climbing. A News Feature on page 204 profiles several key institutions and research groups - from agricultural specialists in Colombia to RNA experts in Argentina -who have gained worldwide recognition.%在今后几个星期，媒体注意力将由于体育的原因而聚焦在巴西及其南美邻国。但本期Nature专辑所关注的则是科学问题，我们对南美洲和中美洲地区进行巡视，详细介绍当地的研发投入与产出。我们还要介绍当地的重要机构和研究团体，报告一个将当地最好的研究人员送到北美的实验室去掌握经验的计划以及为了让在国外已功成名就的科学家回国工作所做的努力。最后，我们还要就科学可以怎样帮助在该地区实现可持续经济増长目标的问题征询意见。