World News for Students of English

19-12-2024 07:00

Brazil is taking a high-tech approach to stop illegal gold mining in the Amazon. Scientists use forensic methods to trace the ‘DNA of Brazilian gold’. They use advanced tools to detect the unique impurities, tiny bits of other materials like dirt or copper, that reveal their origin.

Illegal gold mining has grown under weakened regulations during the Bolsonaro administration and now accounts for nearly half of Brazil’s gold output. This mining causes environmental destruction and violence in the Amazon. Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has promised to crack down on these activities, aided by the ‘Targeting Gold’ program.

The program, developed with universities, has already helped police seize 38% more gold in 2023 than in 2022. Brazil’s new methods are getting attention from other countries, like Colombia and France, which want to adopt the technology. Brazilian scientists are open to collaborating globally to improve gold tracing.

Difficult words: forensic (scientific methods used to investigate), impurity (a small amount of unwanted substance), aid (to help).

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