Flipping science in the Philippines
Here’s a podcast guest who awed me so much that I lost my words at one point. He also left me no excuses for slacking. Advice and inspiration from Mikael Angelo Francisco who runs science portal Flipscience with Hana Abello.
Coral-rich seas
Do you dive? I don’t, but as a kid, I have swam in coral reefs off the coast of Malaysia. The colours of the corals and the fishes – everything was alive and over the top. While Southeast Asia is the crown of marine diversity, we are losing our corals fast. Marine biologist James Tan tell us about corals and how we can protect them.
Let’s start reporting science
You want to soar as a freelance science journalist in Southeast Asia? It’s tough but fun! My advice is to start small and aim big. Listen and take your pick of the tips dished out by Dyna Rochmyaningsih and Sandy Ong.
Wild pigs of Southeast Asia
Frizzy beard above the nose; thick warts on the face; chitty-chatty and yet ready to butt heads for sex. Matthew Linkie and Sheherazade tell us all about the many species of wild pigs that roam the forests of Southeast Asia and their deadly new threat, the African swine fever.
Life of science journalists in Southeast Asia
Three freelance science journalists talk about what we do in Southeast Asia and what we like about this career (it’s a career for the curious!) and its challenges (show me the money, please).
Illegal specimen in taxonomy – what should journals do?
A new centipede species was named using specimens collected without permits. Should journals combat such practices? Editors are divided.
Collectors finding thousands of bee species fewer than in the 1950s
Globally, thousands of bee species have become so rare that they are difficult to find or have gone extinct, according to an analysis of global insect collections.
A Guide for Aspiring Freelance Science Journalists (in Southeast Asia)
What to expect, whom and how to pitch, and opportunities to grab in the region.
Scientists collect semen from macaque masturbation
Scientists can learn much from an animal’s semen. But it’s difficult to collect semen from wild animals. Primate males however, masturbate often, ejaculating on surfaces nearby. Could scientists collect semen there?
Forests with more termites do better in drought
Forests with more termites show better soil nutrient distribution and leaf litter removal, reported a 2019 study.