Dr. Gerry Bagtasa shares their study on developing an AI-based model for forecasting tropical cyclone rainfall in the Philippines using historical data from 1951 to 2015 to train the model.

📚Reference: Mesias CG, Bagtasa G. 2025. AI‐Based Tropical Cyclone Rainfall Forecasting in the Philippines Using Machine Learning. Meteorological Applications. 32(4). ‌

🤝Behind The Science Podcast is presented to you by Marine & Earth Science Learning Hub, UP Resilience Institute, The Philippine Agricultural Scientist, The Philippine Journal of Fisheries, and SciEnggJ.

In this episode, I talk with Ms. Alexandra Hulog about a new microfluidic method that creates uniform alginate microbeads for cell encapsulation. Traditional batch emulsion techniques often produce beads of uneven sizes, which affects how much medicine, nutrients, or cells each bead can carry. Their microfluidic platform solves this problem by controlling droplet size during formation, resulting in more consistent microbeads that can be used for broader biological and biotechnological applications.

📚Reference: Hulog AM, Francisco M, Oquendo N, Mariane Desiree Avendaño, Kaw J, Dagdag AD, Guerrero RJ. 2025. Development of a microfluidic platform for the encapsulation of baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in alginate hydrogel microparticles. SciEnggJ. 18:256–269.‌

🤝Behind The Science Podcast is presented to you by Marine & Earth Science Learning Hub, UP Resilience Institute, The Philippine Agricultural Scientist, The Philippine Journal of Fisheries, and SciEnggJ.

Dr. Edison Macusi discusses the most pressing issues facing the small pelagic fisheries and milkfish aquaculture industries in the Philippines over the next 30 years, and the solutions to these problems.

📚Reference: Macusi ED, Nallos IM, Santos MD, Geronimo RC. 2025. Climate and Non-climate Related Hazards in Small Pelagic Fisheries and Milkfish Aquaculture: Expert Opinion Survey in the Philippines. The Philippine Journal of Fisheries. 32(1).

🤝Behind The Science Podcast is presented to you by Marine & Earth Science Learning Hub, UP Resilience Institute, The Philippine Agricultural Scientist, The Philippine Journal of Fisheries, and SciEnggJ.

Mr. Marco Ibañez shares what it takes to become a storm chaser for the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, and his experience chasing Super Typhoon Uwan.

📚 Check out Marco's research papers: [1] Ibañez MP, Pura AG, Sajulga RA, David SJ. 2023. Raindrop Size Distribution (RSD) Characteristics during the Southwest Monsoon Period in Western Luzon, Philippines. Philippine Journal of Science. 152(S1).► https://doi.org/10.56899/152.s1.01[2] Ibañez MPA, Capuli GH, Pura AG, Villafuerte MQ. 2025. Establishment of kinetic energy – Rainfall intensity (KE-I) relationships for soil erosion studies using raindrop size distribution (DSD) measurements in the mountainous region of Tanay, Rizal. Geomorphology. 488:109968.► https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2025.109968

🤝Behind The Science Podcast is presented to you by Marine & Earth Science Learning Hub, UP Resilience Institute, The Philippine Agricultural Scientist, The Philippine Journal of Fisheries, and SciEnggJ.

I talked with Dr. Arah Narida about a breakthrough in coral conservation. Their team achieved the world's first successful production of adult corals grown from cryopreserved larvae.

📚Reference: Arah Narida, Tsai S-Y, Hsieh W-C, Wen Z, Wang L-H, Huang Cc, Lin C. 2023. First successful production of adult corals derived from cryopreserved larvae. Frontiers in Marine Science. 10.‌

🤝Behind The Science Podcast is presented to you by Marine & Earth Science Learning Hub, UP Resilience Institute, The Philippine Agricultural Scientist, The Philippine Journal of Fisheries, and SciEnggJ.

I talked with Ms. Angelyn Marmeto about her study on the genetic interaction between BT corn and traditional maize varieties in the Philippines. Their team discovered the first evidence of natural cross-pollination, where insect-resistant traits from genetically modified corn were transferred to a native variety known as Silangan. We discuss how this gene flow happened, what it means for insect resistance, and the broader implications for agricultural biotechnology and biosafety in the country.

📚Reference: Caasi-Lit, Merdelyn & Ocampo, Eureka & Salazar, Artemio & Paril, Jefferson & Novio, Bryan & Panabang, Bernard & Marmeto, Angelyn Marta. (2021). First Detection of Naturally Introgressed BT Cry1Ab in Asian Corn Borer [Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée)]-Resistant Traditional Maize (Silangan) in the Philippines. Philippine Agricultural Scientist. 104. 340-350.

🤝Behind The Science Podcast is presented to you by Marine & Earth Science Learning Hub, UP Resilience Institute, The Philippine Agricultural Scientist, The Philippine Journal of Fisheries, and SciEnggJ.

I talked with Mr. Gifford Jay Agudo about his study on land cover change and flood exposure in Quinali A Watershed, Albay. Using satellite remote sensing and flood modeling, his research tracks three decades of landscape transformation — from the loss of forests and brushlands to the rapid expansion of croplands and urban areas. The results reveal that urban growth is encroaching into flood-prone zones, nearly doubling exposure to flooding since 1990.

📚Reference: Agudo GJ, Garcia J, Pulhin J, Mendoza J, Singson KV, Lagmay AMF, Cruz RV, Santiago J, Moises MA, Esquivel ALJ, et al. 2025. Land Cover Change and Its Associated Impacts on Landscape Fragmentation and Flood Exposure in Quinali A Watershed, Albay, the Philippines. Philippine Journal of Science. 154(2): 287-300.

🤝Behind The Science Podcast is presented to you by Marine & Earth Science Learning Hub, UP Resilience Institute, The Philippine Agricultural Scientist, The Philippine Journal of Fisheries, and SciEnggJ.

Scab diseases make fruits like mango, citrus, and sweet potato unappealing and unmarketable, but what if we could decode the fungus behind them down to its DNA? In this episode of Behind The Science Podcast, Dr. Leilani Sumabat-Dacones talked about her team’s discovery of the genes that make the fungus Elsinoë such an effective plant pathogen. Using bioinformatics, they analyzed fungal genomes to identify effectors and toxins like elsinochrome and melanin that trigger scab formation.

📚Reference: Cequeña RC, Sumabat-Dacones L. 2024. Presence of elsinochrome and other putative effectors in select genomes of the plant pathogen Elsinoë spp. based on in silico analysis. SciEnggJ. 17(1):59–70.‌

🤝Behind The Science Podcast is presented to you by Marine & Earth Science Learning Hub, UP Resilience Institute, The Philippine Agricultural Scientist, The Philippine Journal of Fisheries, and SciEnggJ.