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A TUNA ONCE CONSIDERED EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO BREED IN CAPTIVITY HAS SPAWNED NATURALLY IN THE PHILIPPINES

A TUNA ONCE CONSIDERED EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO BREED IN CAPTIVITY HAS SPAWNED NATURALLY IN THE PHILIPPINES This is the kind of good news that I am looking for. A tuna that was considered extremely difficult to breed in captivity has actually spawned naturally in the Philippines. The fish is mackerel tuna, or kawakawa (Euthynnus affinis), locally known as tulingan . Researchers at the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) in Tigbauan, Iloilo recorded the first spawning in July 2025, with repeated spawning through September. The fish produced viable eggs and larvae—without hormone injections. This is good news for food security . It is good news for livelihood . And yes, it is good news for national pride . Never mind that SEAFDEC is an international organization rather than a Philippine government agency. What matters is that the breakthrough happened here, in the Philippines, and Filipino fisheries scientists were part of the research team. In...
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CAN WE EXTINGUISH FIRES USING ACOUSTIC WAVES INSTEAD OF WATER?

CAN WE EXTINGUISH FIRES USING ACOUSTIC WAVES INSTEAD OF WATER? Since the beginning of civilization, mankind has been extinguishing fires using water. Of course, we now have foam, powders, gases and other chemicals, but water remains one of our principal weapons against fire. And now comes an interesting possibility: using sound waves to extinguish flames. Why is that important? Because water is becoming an increasingly precious commodity. During the 2024 El Niño, 131 Philippine LGUs declared a state of calamity, while some communities experienced serious water shortages. Can you imagine fighting a fire in the middle of a drought? That would indeed be a case of double jeopardy . Interestingly, this is not just science fiction. Research has already demonstrated that acoustic waves can extinguish flames by creating air movement and turbulence that destabilize the combustion process. Experiments have found effective suppression at low frequencies, including around 30–75 Hz, although the re...
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COULD TAMARIND BE THE ANSWER TO THE MICROPLASTICS PROBLEM IN OUR OCEANS?

COULD TAMARIND BE THE ANSWER TO THE MICROPLASTICS PROBLEM IN OUR OCEANS? Who could have imagined that an ingredient used to make our favorite sour soup could possibly help solve the problem of microplastics in our waters? Apparently, three 16-year-old Indian students did. Vivaan Chhawchharia, Ariana Agarwal and Avyana Mehta developed Plas-Stick , a biodegradable magnetic powder made from discarded tamarind seeds. In May 2026, their invention became the first Indian team to win The Earth Prize , a global environmental competition for young people. The powder causes microplastics in water to clump together, after which the clumps can be removed with a handheld magnet.  Now, before we get too excited, there is an important qualification: this is not yet a magic powder that can simply be thrown into the Pacific Ocean . The technology has been developed primarily for contained water, particularly rural drinking-water applications. Putting a flocculant into the open ocean without a way o...
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IS IT POSSIBLE TO CLOSE LANDFILLS AND DUMPSITES ONE HUNDRED PERCENT?

IS IT POSSIBLE TO CLOSE LANDFILLS AND DUMPSITES ONE HUNDRED PERCENT? No, that is not a hypothetical question, because it has already actually happened in Tilos, Greece. Tilos is a small island in the Dodecanese with a relatively small population. Yet through the Just Go Zero Tilos program, its old landfill was shut down and transformed into a Circular Innovation Centre. Public waste bins were removed and households and businesses began segregating their waste at source, followed by door-to-door collection. The reported recovery rate has exceeded 85 percent, with the program designed to recover all waste streams.  So, what can we learn from Tilos? The first principle that comes to my mind is subsidiarity . Simply stated, problems should be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority. Higher authorities should do what lower authorities cannot effectively do. The second principle is “Small Is Beautiful,” the idea associated with economist E. F. Schumache...
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CAN MORINGA BE THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF REMOVING MICROPLASTICS FROM OUR OCEANS?

CAN MORINGA BE THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF REMOVING MICROPLASTICS FROM OUR OCEANS? The jury is still out on this one. But I believe moringa can be part of the solution to the microplastic problem, although it certainly is not the only solution. A 2026 study published in ACS Omega by researchers from São Paulo State University in Brazil found that a saline extract from moringa (Moringa oleifera) seeds removed 98.5% of aged PVC microplastics under optimized laboratory conditions. The researchers compared it with alum, a conventional water-treatment coagulant. How does it work? The positively charged proteins in moringa seed extract help neutralize the negative charge on microplastic particles, causing them to clump together so they can be filtered out. But let us not get carried away. This does not mean we can pour moringa extract into the Pacific Ocean and expect the microplastics to disappear. The study dealt with controlled water-treatment systems. The researchers themselves ide...
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THERE IS HOPE FOR OUR NATIONAL ENLIGHTENMENT, CONVERSION, AND RENEWAL

THERE IS HOPE FOR OUR NATIONAL ENLIGHTENMENT, CONVERSION, AND RENEWAL I recently came across a prayer from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) entitled “A Nation’s Prayer for Enlightenment, Conversion, and Renewal.” I believe Filipinos should read it carefully—not simply as a prayer, but as a call to examine ourselves. The CBCP prayer begins: “Loving Father, God of truth and justice, You sent Your Only Son, Jesus Christ, who by His Paschal Mystery revealed Your mercy and reconciled us to You and the world.” Then it describes our difficult situation: “Our nation stands at a difficult crossroads.” The CBCP speaks of truth being cast aside, justice being delayed, and division weakening our society. But should we lose hope? I don't think so. We should always have faith in God. But I also believe that we cannot expect our country to be renewed if we ourselves are unwilling to be renewed. The CBCP prayer asks the Holy Spirit to “renew our hearts and enlighten our...
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HOW TO BREAK DOWN MICROPLASTICS USING FUNGI FROM COCONUT HUSKS

HOW TO BREAK DOWN MICROPLASTICS USING FUNGI FROM COCONUT HUSKS Sometimes innovation starts by looking differently at something that we have always taken for granted. Consider the coconut husk. Vera Wang, a senior at Kaiser High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, recently attracted attention with a science project involving fungi found in coconut fibers. Her research, conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Anthony Amend at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, investigated fungi associated with tannin-rich coconut fiber and their ability to degrade plastic and sunscreen compounds. Her project won first place in Microbiology and third place Best in Fair at the 2026 Hawaiʻi State Science & Engineering Fair. This makes me ask a very simple question: Can we not develop that kind of technology in the Philippines? We are, after all, one of the world's major coconut-producing countries. The coconut industry covers about 3.67 million hectares and provides livelihoods to more than 2.74 million coconu...
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