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…
Category: Vanguard
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…
When COVID-19 cases nearly doubled on March 14—skyrocketing from 64 a day before to 111—President Rodrigo Duterte responded by placing Luzon on Enhanced Community Quarantine, restricting land, air, and sea travel; suspending mass transport facilities; and prohibiting mass gatherings, among other enforced guidelines. Responding to the severity of the pandemic, the Department of Health (DOH)…
As we continue to explore the evolutionary puzzle of human origins, we often unearth previously unknown facts and develop theories about how modern humans came to be. One such study—co-authored by Dr. Alan Rogers, Dr. Nathan Harris, and Alan Achenbach of the University of Utah—has recently documented the earliest known interbreeding event between ancient human…
One in every five Filipino adults use Facebook to access and consume news, a Social Weather Stations survey conducted in 2019 revealed. While television remains the chief source of news for about 60 percent of Filipinos, Facebook places second, surpassing radio stations and newspapers. By racking up likes and shares, news on Facebook and other…