Nuclear energy first came to the Philippines in 1958 when the United States gifted the Philippines with a nuclear fission...
Science
Classes in many schools have been suspended to spare students the suffering brought by the heat wave. —PHOTO BY RA ERIN
In this scorching weather, what does ‘heat index’ mean?
PILI, Camarines Sur — As the temperature soars, with many parts of the country including Metro Manila experiencing extremely warm weather, the term “heat index” has surfaced anew. In its March 6 advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) warned of “danger” as the heat index rose to 45⁰ C in Dagupan City (Pangasinan) and 42⁰ in Iba (Zambales),...
A Diacalymene trilobite. You can probably relate to trilobites by looking at two common present-day arthropods (members of the Phylum Arthropoda to which trilobites belong)—pillbugs, those tiny crawlies under fallen leaves which curl up when disturbed, and the sea roaches on rocks at the Manila Bay breakwater. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
Family and Fossils: Million-year-old gifts from my wife and sisters
(Third of three parts) Family and fossils: My cousin Isko and my first precious find, Family and fossils: My grandchild Meg and a treasure trove I have in my hand a fossil—the remains of an ancient creature called a trilobite. This animal-looking rock resulted when the trilobite was buried and minerals replaced its body parts. It looks very old and...
Featured Stories
Retelling the natural hazards, dangers of the Bataan nuclear power plant
Nuclear energy first came to the Philippines in 1958 when the United States gifted the Philippines with a nuclear fission...
DOUBLE HIT Like a bent tripod struggling to support its lofty, leafy top, this coconut tree in Palanas, Masbate, took the brunt of two earthquakes 17 years apart. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Masbate’s three-legged coconut tree spurs scientific interest
Several decades since I defended my doctoral dissertation, my visits to Masbate had been few and far between, until I...
Filipino geologist Mario Juan Aurelio attends the 27th session (second part) of the Legal and Technical Commission of the UN-created International Seabed Authority in Kingston, Jamaica. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Filipino Geologist elected to UN body on world’s seabed resources management, protection
A Filipino geologist is joining a select panel of experts helping a United Nations (UN) agency in its mission to...
A landslide-swept community. —PHOTO FROM pna.gov.ph
Landslides in Leyte: Why the threat persists
BAYBAY CITY—Virginia Queza remembers sharply the Day of the Landslides’, for that was when she lost her husband, house and...
Fallen nave roof and stripped midsection of a church bell tower in Tayum, Abra. —PHOTO BY MARIO AURELIO
Abra quake was less destructive but a complex seismic event
A magnitude-7 earthquake has long been associated with a nightmarish aftermath: massive devastation and hundreds of deaths. But more than...
The endangered rafflesia flower is infamous for its rotting-flesh smell. —PHOTO BY ERIKA MARIE BASCOS
Smallest rafflesia blooms reveal some family secrets
Most likely, the world has heard about the awesome rafflesia bloom, its rarity and inherent malodorous turnoff. But Filipino scientists...
The body of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin found in the waters of Calabanga, Camarines Sur. —PHOTO COURTESY OF BFAR
Dolphin discovery hints at unexplored biodiversity-rich marine habitat
A rare Irrawaddy dolphin found dead in the waters of Calabanga, Camarines Sur, has suggested to scientists a rich marine...
Intense tilting in geologically young sedimentary deposits and abrupt changes in slope may indicate the presence of a nearby active fault as shown in this photo taken along the upper Laoag River basin. —PHOTO BY MARIO AURELIO
Digging for clues to Abra’s earthquakes
Last Oct. 25 at about 11 p.m., my earthquake alert app sounded while I was finalizing the visual material for...