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Saturday, January 25, 2025

Environment

Sandfish: Expensive, endangered and ecologically essential

BY ROSSEA LEDESMA SANDFISH, or Holothuria scabra, is one of the most threatened tropical sea cucumbers because of its high price, reaching up to $1,600...

Earth breathes on its 50th

Plus some tips on how to be eco-friendly amid lockdown AS WE give cheers to Earth Day’s 50th anniversary, we can pinpoint a bright spot: humanity has...
Milkfish fry at the SEAFDEC hatchery in Tigbauan, Iloilo that are ready to be transported to nurseries and grow-out farms. Photo by SEAFDEC/AQD

SEAFDEC turns up the heat to meet bangus fry shortage

DESPITE being widely regarded as the unofficial national fish, about half of the milkfish on Filipino tables are born in hatcheries in Indonesia and Taiwan. This...
The Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) bird seen gripping on the basketball ring.

Less pollution: Birds sing in low frequencies

AVIAN species called birds were frequently seen flying in the sky and were heard chirping and singing from the trees in the community amidst the...
Seized ivory in Malaysia waiting to be destroyed. GETTY IMAGES

Exploiting nature ‘drives outbreaks of new diseases’

NEW evidence has emerged of a link between human exploitation of nature and pandemics. Close contact with wild animals through hunting, trade or habitat loss puts the...
It’s not known how the virus might affect great apes like gorillas. GETTY IMAGES

Great apes on lockdown over COVID-19 threat

GREAT apes have been put on lockdown against the threat of coronavirus. Gorilla tourism in Africa has been suspended, while sanctuaries for other apes, such as orangutans, have...
A bear and cub at Yellowstone National Park in the US, where bears have come out of hibernation earlier than usual. GETTY IMAGES

Why bears are coming out of hibernation early

FROM Russia and Finland to Canada and the United States, there’s been multiple sightings of bears around the world. That might not sound too weird...
Air travel is also grinding to a virtual halt, achieving at least a short-term drop-off in emissions from a highly polluting industry. US NEWS

Cleaner hands, bluer skies: What has coronavirus done for us?

DEATHS, economic meltdown and a planet on lockdown: the coronavirus pandemic has brought us waves of bad news, but squint and you might just see a...
Scientists say that by May, when CO2 emissions are at their peak thanks to the decomposition of leaves, the levels recorded might be the lowest since the financial crisis over a decade ago. GETTY IMAGES

Air pollution, CO2 fall rapidly as virus spreads

WITH global economic activity ramping down as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, it is hardly surprising that emissions of a variety of gases related to...
Anisakis worms in blue whiting fish. The prevalence of these worms, found in raw or undercooked fish, has increased dramatically since the 1970s. Credit: Gonzalo Jara/Shutterstock

‘Worm alert’: Sushi parasites have increased 283x in the past 40 years

A NEW study published in the journal Global Change Biology in March 2020 on the occurrence of certain worms in raw or undercooked seafood,...