they collect samples that may help create life-saving drugs for cancer and other diseases by cutting small branches that will regrow within a year - thus, about 2,000 extracts from plants and trees have been tested, over 70 of which have shown an impact on tumor cells, and over 50 for bacterial infections.

 with the increased ability to screen for more diseases, their project could have a greater impact on human health, bringing resources for rainforest preservation, and improving the quality of life of its inhabitants.