As a first post to this blog I thought I might talk a little about Brazilian science now and then, and my perception from my infinitesimal place in it as a regular graduate student. This is a three-part post full of personal views, partial statements and funny facts from wikipedia!...

As the whole of America, Brazil was reborn from its discovery by Europeans, and the entrepreneurship (not to say just colonisation) of the Portuguese and other nations through the centuries. Brazilian history is very singular and unique in many aspects… Regarding science, Brazil has produced some admirable figures since the beginning of the XX century. Alberto Santos-Dumont (1873-1932) was the first man to fly a plane if you ask anyone in Brazil, even tough kids grow up here watching North-American cartoons that state otherwise. Shortly after his historical flight in Paris in 1906, Carlos Chagas (1879-1934) did in Brazil his great research on the disease that bears his name.

Later that century Brazil did its part on the development of physics. Some important physicists of that period are Mário Schönberg (1914-1990), and recently departed José Leite Lopes (1918-2006) and César Lattes(1924-2005).

One important highlight from current Brazilian research was the sequencing of the Xylella Fastidiosa. This work scored a cover of Nature magazine in 2000, and helped in the education of many researchers who still work on biotechnology today. Brazil is also the homeland neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis, who is today creating a neuroscience research centre in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.

Brazil has also some great inventors who are not too well-known, as Father Landell de Moura (1861-1928), who was a radio pioneer. More recently, Andreas Pavel (1945-) was finally recognised by Sony as the first “father” of the personal stereo device.

Now, although Brazilians had done their part in the development of science, none of them ever won the prestigious Nobel prize. Well, there is actually one, Doctor Peter Medawar was born in Rio de Janeiro from foreign parents who took him back to England while still young.

Brazil is the most populous country without a Nobel prize. Indonesia might claim the negative title, but at least there is the peace prize from 1996, awarded to two Timorese who fought to become independent.

The next six most populous countries after Brazil have Nobels. Two Pakistani have received prizes in physics and medicine. Bangladeshi Dr. Muhammad Yunus was awarded a peace Nobel last year. Nigerian Wole Soyinka won for Africa the first literature Nobel apart from Albert Camus.

The second (or third counting Indonesia) most populous country without a Nobel is Philippines. Next would be Vietnam, since Le Duc Tho declined the controversial peace award given to him jointly with Henry Kissinger. This award is even more criticised today due to Kissinger’s political attitudes towards some countries, Brazil among them.

Next we have Ethiopia, Thailand and Dem. Rep. of Congo. Turkey went out of the sad list last year with Orhan Pamuk in literature.

Our “hermanos” from Argentina have 5 Nobels, 3 of them are “technical” ones. Colombia and Chile have together 3 literature prizes. Central America and Caribbean have 9 Nobels.

The GDP of Brazil is almost the double of Indonesia’s, and triple that of Argentina, Thailand, Philippines and Pakistan. We are not only the most populous, but the wealthiest country without a Nobel prize too, and also the largest by area.

Some might even consider it could be some kind of prejudice. But that is impossible! Brazil has all ethnicities!... It’s perhaps the most miscegenated country in the world. We have whites, blacks, indians, and all possible mixtures. Actually, our ancestors are mainly white males mixed with various females, but anyway. We’ve had recent immigration of Germans, Italians, Jews, Arabs, Japanese, Chinese, Russians… Name your culture.

Some might say the lack of recognition by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and other Nordic authorities doesn’t really matter, and some even say and actually believe it. But the fact is that most Brazilians have been feeling for a long time that our rich biodiversity still doesn’t make for the lack of golden laurels. And this underarchievement is not restricted to science, it’s something felt on many areas of activity.