Photo: Pexels (Press release from DOST-PCIEERD) On May 31, 2024, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Mapua University launched a 24/7 localized weather information and impact monitoring system to help the Philippines prepare for the coming La Niña. Developed by Mapúa University School of Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering, ...
June 2, 2024 | 2 mins read
Photo: Craig Soroño • At a recent public forum facilitated by the UP Diliman College of Science, professors discussed the geopolitical and ecological situation in the West Philippine Sea, as well as marine conservation strategies. • During the forum, the speakers touched upon climate change-related risks, oil spills and other threats, ...
June 1, 2024 | 6 mins read
Philippine Taxonomic Initiative va Facebook Born on December 29, 1953 to a Chinese immigrant and an Ilocano mother, Leonardo Legaspi Co had always had a keen interest in science. As a student of the Philippine Cultural High School, Co dabbled in chemistry, engineering, and geology, but it was botany that would capture ...
May 25, 2023 | 4 mins read
Dr. Jabez Flores via Facebook Interested in growing your own food and designing a sustainable home? Permaculture calls you to reconnect with nature and get into climate-resilient practices. Practicing permaculture for the climate crisis As we near the climate deadline, climate change awareness has been ringing louder on different platforms. ...
May 23, 2023 | 2 mins read
Weand Ybañez •Mangrove deforestation is a massive problem in the Philippines, one that deeply affects the lives of many coastal communities. •"Bakawan," a new documentary from marine biologist Dr. Lemnuel Aragones, seeks to draw attention to this issue by featuring the people of Alabat Island, Quezon Province and their ...
March 15, 2023 | 2 mins read
Dave Harlow/USGS Tatlong dekada na ang lumipas mula nang masaksihan ng mundo ang kapangyarihan ng bulkang Pinatubo. Pumutok ito noong ika-15 ng Hunyo, 1991 - ang pangalawang pinakamalakas na pagsabog ng bulkan sa ika-20 siglo. Ang pagsabog ng Pinatubo ay nagdulot ng matinding pag-agos ng lahar (pinaghalong putik at nagbabagang ...
November 2, 2021 | 4 mins read
Masungi Georeserve Concealed in the rainforests of Baras, Rizal, award-winning conservation site Masungi Georeserve gives home to more than 400 species of flora and fauna. Among these, around 70 are endemic to the Philippines. Masungi’s name comes from the word “masungki” or “sungki,” which means “pointed” or “spiked.” It's a fitting ...
July 28, 2021 | 8 mins read
Shutterstock •Studies on both the 2012 Negros earthquake and the 2013 Bohol earthquake revealed previously unknown faults in the Philippines. •Through neotectonics and paleoseismology, experts gather data on past and present earthquakes, which can help them gauge the probability of future seismic hazards. •As it is currently impossible to predict earthquakes, geologists ...
January 7, 2021 | 6 mins read
Shutterstock Snowflakes truly are a marvel of nature. Formed in ways that ensure their uniqueness, finding two precisely identical snowflakes in the wild is close to impossible. There's one thing that all of them have in common, though: each one you find will have six sides. Snowflakes are made up ...
December 26, 2020 | 2 mins read
Getty Images One of the most popular Christmas stories comes straight from the Bible: The visitation of the Magi, who brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the child Jesus in Bethlehem. And while the latter two gifts aren't as well-known these days, they were just as valued as ...
December 23, 2020 | 2 mins read
Daniel dela Cruz Consider the three metals used in medals for various competitions and academic awards, and look at where they're located on the Periodic Table of Elements. You're sure to notice something peculiar about bronze (an alloy of copper, or Cu), silver (Ag), and gold (Au)—specifically, how they're ...
December 11, 2020 | 1 min read
Agriland We may not realize this often, but soil, particularly the fertile kind, is teeming with life. It's the same reason why the ground we're literally standing on is integral in sustaining the world's biodiversity, food production, and energy needs. It has been said that soil contains between one quarter ...
December 5, 2020 | 2 mins read
YouTube You've probably heard about how honey has an eternal shelf life and never expires. Thanks to its chemical composition, this is (almost always) true. Honey has three things going for it that stop it from going bad over time. For starters, honey is a sugar, which means it's hygroscopic. ...
November 23, 2020 | 2 mins read
Forest Foundation Philippines The Sierra Madre mountain range is also called the “backbone of Luzon,” and with good reason. It is the longest mountain range in the Philippines; in addition, it is one of the country's most biodiverse areas. Covering Luzon's northeast coast and serving as a natural shield against ...
November 11, 2020 | 2 mins read
Shutterstock It's an all-too-familiar image in pop culture: A super-powered character grabs a piece of coal, crushes it in their hand, and opens their palm to reveal a perfectly formed diamond. This couldn't be further from the truth, though, mainly because diamonds aren't made from coal to begin with. For ...
October 22, 2020 | 2 mins read
•Data from air monitoring stations in Quezon City revealed a massive decrease in air pollution since the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila. •The national directive to mitigate COVID-19 appears to have positively affected air quality in other Metro Manila cities as well, according to the ...
March 30, 2020 | 5 mins read
One of the Philippines' chief sources of freshwater fish, Laguna de Bay is the country's largest inland body of water, and Southeast Asia's third largest freshwater lake. With a surface area of over 900 km2 (more than 347 sq km)—almost three times the size of the second largest Philippine lake, Lake ...
March 22, 2020 | 2 mins read
•There is a significant knowledge gap regarding the critically endangered Philippine pangolin (Manis culionensis) or balintong, hindering efforts to save the species. •The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, and other partners in Palawan ran an intensive field study on the species. •Apart ...
February 23, 2020 | 6 mins read
•A team of scientists from the Philippines and Australia recently identified a new species of mudworm, Marphysa iloiloensis. •Named after the Philippine province, M. iloiloensis lives in muddy sediments, functioning as a soil cleaner in its ecosystem. •Iloilo-based researchers are developing ways to cultivate M. iloiloensis as a highly nutritious ...
February 16, 2020 | 4 mins read
•The Philippine Rise (also called the Benham Rise) lies east of Luzon, and falls under the Philippines' sovereign rights. •Located in the Philippine Rise, the newly discovered Apolaki Caldera may be the world's largest known caldera. •The rich biodiversity and abundant natural resources in the Rise make it necessary to ...
February 6, 2020 | 3 mins read
Floodlights illuminate the light fog and wispy clouds at 4 AM, above Pampanga's Clark International Airport. A young woman in a bright yellow vest and blue gloves climbs a tall ladder propped beside the P-3B aircraft. The P-3B is a little smaller than the usual passenger airplanes, with other ...
November 27, 2019 | 6 mins read
A Filipino atmospheric scientist wanted to see what over a century's worth of climate data could say about Metro Manila. Based on the results, it's time for us to listen. One hundred years ago, in August 1919, relentless rain barraged the streets of Manila. The amount of rainfall was, in a ...
October 24, 2019 | 7 mins read
•Antarctica's massive Thwaites Glacier accounts for 4 percent of the annual sea level rise. •Recently, scientists discovered that it is thinning much faster than earlier estimates. •Once it reaches the point of irreversible melting, it could threaten entire ecosystems and economies across the world. The Thwaites Glacier, located in western Antarctica ...
September 13, 2019 | 3 mins read
FlipFact of the Day: Glass, like gel and plastic, is neither solid nor liquid. Glass falls under the category of amorphous solids, a state somewhere between solids and liquids. That's because glass doesn't have the long-range order (the pattern in which a material's particles are arranged, repeated periodically across its ...
July 6, 2019 | 1 min read
FlipFact of the Day: Vulcan Point, a 40-meter-long island located within Taal Volcano's Crater Lake, was known for many years as the world's largest island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island. However, researchers discovered another sub-sub-island in Nunavut in 2012 via Google Maps. The still-unnamed ...
July 3, 2019 | 1 min read
FlipFact of the Day: You may have come across the claim that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure visible from space. The reality, however, is that it isn't - or at least, not to the naked eye. In fact, China's own astronaut, Yang Liwei, attested that ...
July 2, 2019 | 1 min read
•Climate change remains a significant challenge in food security, livelihood, and nutrition in the Philippines. •This has prompted the Pinoy agriculture and education sectors to adopt climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices. •CSA can help mitigate climate change's impact on health and employment in the Philippines. In the Philippines, it is not ...
May 13, 2019 | 6 mins read
Paulo Cesar Silva for earthday.org •On April 22, 1970, the first official Earth Day celebration took place. •Earth Day is a powerful reminder of our collective duty as stewards of the planet. •Among the ways Filipinos can support Earth Day is by adopting a zero-waste lifestyle. (Updated on April 22, 2021) The year ...
April 21, 2019 | 2 mins read
•Earth Hour alone isn't enough to solve the world's energy problems, and may even encourage a dangerous line of thinking. •However, as an awareness campaign, the value of Earth Hour can't and shouldn't be disregarded. •Ultimately, only two things can save the environment: long-term, sustainable solutions and strictly implemented legislation. (...
March 29, 2019 | 3 mins read
• According to researchers from Tel Aviv University, the evening primrose (Oenothera drummondii) can "hear" nearby bees. • Its flowers serve as its "ears"--and when the bees come a-buzzing, the primrose makes its nectar 20% sweeter. • The study did not undergo rigorous peer review; however, it's still a step in an interesting ...
January 20, 2019 | 2 mins read
• Researchers from Britain found that at least 60 percent of all known wild coffee species, including arabica, are threatened with extinction. • These species are at risk due to a combination of deforestation, climate change, and inadequate conservation measures. • Preserving coffee beans in storage is too costly; thus, it is imperative that ...
January 17, 2019 | 2 mins read
• The Far Eastern curlew was spotted in Bataan for the first time by local birdwatchers. • This incident is one of many recently reported migratory bird sightings in unexpected locations. • These observations may be a result of increased interest and activity in the local birdwatching scene. On January 12, Inquirer.net reported ...
January 13, 2019 | 3 mins read
• Releasing balloons and sky lanterns into the sky can create numerous environmental and safety problems. • "Biodegradable" options exist, but still take a long time to decompose. • The remnants of these items have been known to suffocate, injure, and starve animals, start fires, and contribute to the world's ever-growing garbage problem. ...
January 6, 2019 | 4 mins read
• Researchers from Hong Kong, Guam, and the Philippines examined the impact of whale shark tourism in Tanawan, Oslob on the coral reefs in the area. • They discovered that the marine ecosystem had deteriorated, coral density went down, and macroalgae became more abundant. • Better management strategies must be put in place ...
December 26, 2018 | 2 mins read
Humans have single-handedly caused the demise of so many species of flora and fauna since they first showed up. In fact, modern humans (Homo sapiens) have only been around since about 300,000 years ago, but we've done enough damage that it's going to take at least ten times as many years (...
October 17, 2018 | 2 mins read
An environmental activist from Cordillera is one of the United Nations (UN) Environment Champions of the Earth Awardees for 2018. Joan Carling, a staunch advocate of indigenous peoples' land rights, joins five other prominent figures and companies across the world in receiving the UN's highest environmental honor this year. Carling works ...
September 28, 2018 | 2 mins read
It's that time of the year again when people come home to their families almost every evening with dripping umbrellas, footwear soaked in rainwater from street puddles. During the Philippines' rainy season, literal rubber shoes, umbrellas, raincoats, and even shoe raincoats (yes, they exist) are a necessity. Most Filipinos wait ...
June 24, 2018 | 6 mins read
For over half a century, we’ve been hearing all sorts of stories about the Bermuda Triangle, ranging from terrifying to downright crazy. Since the 1950s, various aircraft and ships have disappeared within the supposed boundaries of the Bermuda Triangle, typically under "mysterious circumstances." Some folks say that the disappearances ...
June 7, 2018 | 6 mins read
(Updated on December 24, 2019) Winter is coming, but not to the Philippines. Or at least, not until climate change has altered the weather system viciously enough to make snow in a tropical country possible. There are only two seasons in the country, and winter is not one of them. There’s ...
September 12, 2017 | 3 mins read
A faint blip on the radar. That was the small, sleepy town of Coron in Palawan before tourism transformed it into a buzzing destination. Coron’s image as a tropical paradise has become viral, probably rivalling the reputation of the ever-popular Boracay Island in the Visayas. Home to the photogenic ...
September 5, 2017 | 5 mins read
(Updated November 20, 2018) Ever notice how a lot of superhero (and supervillain) origin stories seem to be rooted in the aftermath of radiation accidents? More often than not, radioactive mishaps (such as nuclear experiments gone wrong, a bite from an irradiated animal, or exposure to gamma and cosmic rays) serve as ...
August 21, 2017 | 3 mins read
If a recent study from the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters is any indication, humanity has hit yet another snag in its journey towards using solar panels to harness renewable energy: air pollution. How air pollution inhibits solar panels' energy output Led by Duke University's Michael Bergin, the researchers ...
July 31, 2017 | 2 mins read
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