Camilo Araya Bernales

Every year, millions of metric tons of plastic end up as waste, making plastic pollution one of the world’s major environmental challenges. According to global plastic waste statistics from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), more than 408 million metric tons of plastic waste are currently generated each year, but only about 9% is effectively recycled; the rest ends up incinerated, in landfills, or improperly disposed of in natural ecosystems.

El concurso Fondecyt Regular, impulsado por la Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (ANID), es una de las principales fuentes de financiamiento para la investigación en Chile, permitiendo a investigadores e investigadoras desarrollar proyectos de alto impacto en diversas disciplinas.

The Fondecyt Regular 2026 grant program, sponsored by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), is a primary source of research funding in Chile, enabling scientists to develop high-impact projects across various academic disciplines. 

A severe ISAV outbreak plunged the Chilean salmon industry into crisis in 2007. With mortality rates up to 90% across hundreds of farms, 60% of operations halted production. This led to widespread layoffs and losses, directly and indirectly affecting more than 100,000 people.

Climate change and public policies to reduce carbon emissions are rapidly transforming Chile’s electricity system. This challenging shift involves a gradual move away from fossil fuel technologies like coal, diesel, and natural gas power plants, towards renewable sources such as wind and solar power.

Unlike conventional power plants, which operators could dispatch based on demand, these new renewable sources depend directly on climatic factors like solar radiation and wind intensity. This introduces a new level of variability and uncertainty into the electricity grid.

The University of Santiago, Chile, has officially approved its new Open Access and Research Data Management Regulations via Exempt Resolution No. 1661. This instrument sets forth specific guidelines to make institutionally-generated knowledge, financed by public funds, open, accessible, and reusable by society.

The wine industry is currently facing a silent but constant challenge: climate change, which has altered the way wine is produced, as grapes exposed to higher temperatures ripen faster and concentrate more sugar than normal, resulting in high alcohol levels.

For over a century, physics studies have sought to decode the fundamental laws governing the universe, from subatomic particles to the vast structures of space-time. Central to this effort is quantum mechanics, which reveals that matter follows non-intuitive rules determining physical phenomena.

Historically, Chile’s electrical system has depended on large, distant power plants that transmit energy across long lines to urban consumers. This model, however, is now under considerable strain. The increasing adoption of renewable energies, residential solar panels, domestic batteries, and electric vehicles highlights the urgent need for modernization.

In Chile, various bodies of water, such as the Mapocho River, receive agricultural and industrial waste, including organochlorine pesticides, chemical compounds used for pest control but which accumulate in the environment and affect health and biodiversity.

For years, green hydrogen has emerged as a leading contender for driving the global energy transition. Its ability to generate clean energy without emitting pollutants has ignited worldwide interest in decarbonizing production and energy sectors. In this context, Chile has become an international leader in developing this technology, leveraging its abundant solar and wind resources and a strong national commitment to clean energy production.