From under the sea to outer space, the art of paper folding continues to inspire scientists, as origami principles are applied in exploration technology. Sciencemag.org recently reported about the prototype “fish grabber” developed by researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. Upon command, the ...
July 20, 2018 | 2 mins read
Admit it: At least one point in your life, you dreamed of being a superhero. Perhaps you wore a DIY cape to emulate Superman, practiced the signature leaping and web-shooting gestures of Spider-Man, or even just stood in front of a mirror to do Iron Man’s open-palm repulsor pose. ...
July 10, 2018 | 5 mins read
Manny Pacquiao, Lea Salonga, Pia Wurtzbach: These are but a few of the names that come to mind when we are asked about the Philippines' contributions to the international scene. We tend to value our celebrities tremendously. For many of us, they offer an escape from the harsh realities we ...
June 26, 2018 | 6 mins read
If you receive a message from your friend via Facebook with an attachment labelled 'video_xxxx.zip', do not click it. If the name of the file weren't already enough to tip you off, here's what it really is. Digmine is a cryptocurrency-mining malware that, once accessed via your desktop ...
December 27, 2017 | 2 mins read
When Chinese entrepreneur Jack Ma visited the Philippines last month, he did not mince words about the country's internet speed. Calling it "no good," Ma, who founded e-commerce site Alibaba, emphasized the importance of a fast and reliable internet connection. Fortunately, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) took ...
November 22, 2017 | 2 mins read
Not all scientists started their quest for knowledge looking like Albert Einstein. They weren’t wearing lab coats, spewing theorems and equations, or wielding flasks and beakers when they started. Most of them were just precocious little boys and girls with an insatiable thirst for knowledge about the natural world ...
October 10, 2017 | 4 mins read
The Internet of Things (IoT) is indeed a promising concept. We've seen how it can translate what used to be mere science fiction into reality, and the practical possibilities are certainly exciting, if not endless. However, it also comes with a host of issues and challenges that still require solving. ...
September 27, 2017 | 3 mins read
What if your refrigerator could tell when you're already running out of food AND notify your phone to order more? What if your watch could instruct your television to turn itself off right before bedtime? Or what if your car could receive advance warnings about road hazards and tell you ...
September 20, 2017 | 3 mins read
It could be any minimalist’s dream: One identification (ID) for seamless transactions with all public and private agencies. Or it could be any private citizen’s nightmare: all your personal data conveniently packaged in a single ID -- one that could easily fall into the hands of unscrupulous people. ...
September 17, 2017 | 4 mins read
Do you own a tablet or smartphone and live with your mother? Chances are you’ve already heard her complain about your supposed "excessive" gadget use. “Kaka-computer mo yan!” It’s both an accusation and a warning, often blurted out by any well-meaning mother at the first signs of discomfort ...
September 9, 2017 | 3 mins read