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Short-term exposure to independent and combined acidification and warming elicits differential responses from two tropical seagrass-associated invertebrate grazers
Summary A hatchery experiment was conducted to determine the individual and combined effects of lowered pH and elevated temperature on the feeding of two seagrass-associated invertebrate grazers, namely the sea cucumber Stichopus…
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Moving towards open data, public access, and information sharing to combat marine plastics pollution in the Philippines and the Southeast Asian region
Summary Even though Southeast Asian countries are often mentioned as some of the biggest contributors to plastic pollution in the oceans, there is no existing database that validates these claims. Hence, the…
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A world without color: the bleached soft corals of Bolinao
Featured Photo: Bleached Sclerophytum sp. (previously identified as Sinularia) Deep in the throes of a global pandemic, the Philippines of 2020 was no stranger to death. Through her research, soft coral scientist…
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UP MSI celebrates 50th Anniversary with a bang
Featured Photo: The scientists of UP MSI, both past and present. Photo taken by Lourie Hinaloc. UP Marine Science Institute (UP MSI) commemorated its 50th Anniversary with three special events on Thursday,…
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Enrichment of the protein content of the macroalgae Saccharina latissima and Palmaria palmata
Summary The large brown seaweeds, known as kelps, are potential sources of protein for animal feed. They have lower protein contents than most red and green algae, but due to potential for…
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Global Mass Spectrometric Analysis Reveals Chemical Diversity of Secondary Metabolites and 44-Methylgambierone Production in Philippine Gambierdiscus Strains
Summary Chemical profiling and molecular networking of Philippine Gambierdiscus strains provided a glimpse of these organisms’ biosynthetic potential and chemical diversity. We gained insights into the similarities and differences in the metabolite…
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Biochemical Mapping of Pyrodinium bahamense Unveils Molecular Underpinnings behind Organismal Processes
Summary Characterization of the proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids of P. bahamense based on mass spectrometry and chromatographic analyses provided baseline information on the biochemical characteristics of P. bahamense at the vegetative stage.…
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Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Monosubstituted Xestoquinone Analogues from the Marine Sponge Neopetrosia compacta
Summary In this study, we capitalized on the chemical diversity from Philippine marine sponges to discover anti-inflammatory compounds. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated in LPS-stimulated murine macrophage cells and an antiproliferative activity…
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Survival and growth of coral recruits in varying group sizes
Summary Many corals sexually reproduce by producing coral larvae. These larvae settle in the benthos as solitary individuals but sometimes in groups of varying numbers of coral spat. However, little is known…
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Survey of gender bias in the IPCC
Summary In 2018, the IPCC established the Task Group on Gender to compile a report and make recommendations. A survey sent to contributors revealed some positive trends — from just 8% of…
