To many, the word “gravity” conjures imagery of an apple falling from a tree, projectiles being shot into the air, or perhaps the tedious math equations of a Physics class. An omnipresent force of nature, gravity seems to exemplify the mundane—being itself an unchanging fixture of our day-to-day lives, now and always the 9.8 meters…
Category: Vanguard
As July began, 107 days had passed since the Luzon mainland was placed under community quarantine. In what has become the world’s longest COVID-19 lockdown, the country’s quarantine period has even surpassed the 76-day lockdown of the Chinese city of Wuhan—the ground zero of the pandemic. Altered eating and sleeping patterns, increased difficulties with concentrating,…
Expecting widespread rain showers and scattered thunderstorms, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) declared last June 12 the start of the rainy season in the country. With the Philippines’ health sector already struggling to cope with the overwhelming number of COVID-19 cases, the onset of the rainy season may also bring with…
Like in many other countries, coffee is one of the most popular drinks among Filipinos, creating and sustaining the country’s coffee plantation industry. Before plummeting to 110th, the Philippines was once the world’s fourth largest coffee bean exporter. Various local efforts have been enacted to revive the industry plagued by coffee rust—caused by a fast-spreading…
Aiming to unite 100,000 women in Technology-aligned careers, the Women Tech Global Conference 2020 was held online last June 10 to 12 through the interactive platform, Hopin, manifesting as a convergence of society and technological innovation. The event featured a main “stage” for keynote talks, while simultaneous breakout segments were presented on the designated “sessions”…
Besides baring the capacities of leaders and healthcare systems around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly reflected each country’s level of preparedness, their citizens’ trust, and overall unity. The actions of governments and citizens have put their respective countries on different roads, navigating how best to respond to the public health crisis and its…
Despite their immense capacity to generate knowledge, the Sciences tend to be devalued or misunderstood; the vast array of complex concepts and unfamiliar terminologies have made these subject matters appear inaccessible to those outside the scientific community. With the overwhelming amount of information available, it is easy to be misled by hearsays, exaggerations, and even…
The world hastens toward making medical breakthroughs like vaccines to quell the COVID-19 pandemic that caused around seven million confirmed cases and 400,000 deaths as of press time. However, the reliability of every potential intervention, testing method, and treatment must be established based on proper and relevant evidence before these can be implemented in society. …
Soon, the night sky could be blanketed by an immense array of satellites streaking through the dark. These satellites would comprise Starlink, a satellite mega-constellation envisioned to provide global high-speed internet access. There are 480 Starlink satellites currently in orbit around the Earth—60 of which are from the latest launch in early June. SpaceX, the…
The Philippine Society for Cell Biology, Inc. (PSCB) and the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) hosted a webinar titled Community-acquired COVID-19 infections in the Philippines: Knowledge gleaned from SARS-CoV-2 Whole Genome Sequencing last June 6 via Zoom. In the online event, PGC Executive Director Dr. Cynthia Saloma tackled the collaborative work of local scientists using different…