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In 2019, researchers from the Universidad de Antioquia set out to elevate the role of coffee growers, redefine the focus from productivity to competitiveness, and promote sustainable peace. Their project, celebrated at the Ministry of National Education’s Night of Excellence 2024, became a groundbreaking initiative in socially appropriating knowledge. Today, with support from the General Royalties System, it has improved the lives of more than 260 people across 13 villages in Ituango. 

The Orinoquía, a region rich in biodiversity, features savannas and grasslands in its northernmost area. Fires frequently occur during the dry season. This article examines the meteorological conditions that drive fire activity in South America’s third-largest hydrographic basin. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) in archaeology integrates traditional techniques with modern technology to refine processes and accelerate analysis, giving researchers more time to rethink historical interpretations.  

Graduates from the Multimedia Audiovisual Communication program at the Universidad de Antioquia, led by Embera Chamí filmmaker Irati Dojura Landa Yagarí, will showcase their work and represent their community at the Berlin Film Festival. This renowned event will mark the international premiere of their locally produced film. 

Around 1872, Gustav Wallis, a German plant collector, discovered Spathiphyllum wallisii in the Andes mountains of Colombia. This tropical herb, known as a white anthurium, is native to the region and was thought to have vanished from the wild. Recently, two Colombian botanists, one of whom works at the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences at UdeA, rediscovered it.

Researchers from UdeA, collaborating with the Molecular Genetics Group (Genmol) and the Neurosciences Group of Antioquia (GNA), uncovered a new genetic condition in a family from the department’s northern region. This condition, driven by a mutation in the SPAG9 gene, links neurodevelopmental disorders to neurodegenerative diseases.

The Ichthyology Group at the Universidad de Antioquia (Giua) announced the discovery of two new fish species in Colombia. This research involved a Master’s Biology student and professors from the Institute of Biology, the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences at UdeA, and various universities worldwide. “Rineloricaria giua” and “Rineloricaria atratoensis” inhabit the Magdalena-Cauca and Atrato basins, respectively.

Vallenatos often pay homage to nature, drawing inspiration from birdsong, rushing rivers, and the splendor of the natural world. Some focus on the majesty of trees and the vivid colors of flowers, turning them into the core of these musical stories. Through their melodies, coastal Colombian minstrels vividly portray pollination and the courtship rituals of different species. Two UdeA researchers delve into the deep connection between these songs and the memory of nature, celebrating their role as a cornerstone of Colombia’s national sound heritage.

In 1980, Scott O’Neill set out to find a way to control Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Today, thanks to his work, infecting these mosquitoes with Wolbachia bacteria, dengue, Zika, and chikungunya has significantly declined across 14 countries and territories. The Australian scientist recently visited Medellín to showcase the project’s results in the Aburrá Valley, where the World Mosquito Program (WMP) and UdeA’s Program for the Study and Control of Tropical Diseases (Pecet) led the initiative.

The cotton-top tamarin’s striking white plume and natural charm have placed it at risk. To support conservation efforts for this species across five Colombian departments, María Alejandra Jiménez Cadavid is leading a project focused on mapping its genetic traces. Her research outshone 95 other applicants and won her the Colombia Biodiversa 2024 Scholarship, awarded by the Alejandro Angel Escobar Foundation.

Universidad de Antioquia, along with public and private universities and commercial partners, successfully sequenced the complete genomes of two Colombian centenarians—a man and a woman. This achievement provides a foundation for exploring the factors that allow people to live over 100 years.