France reported the first human case of the Shamonda virus usually found in livestock on Thursday in a hospital patient who died, though authorities said there was no risk to the general population. It is suspected that the victim was bitten by a midge carrying the virus in eastern France where it had circulated among animals this spring and summer, the government…
Far beneath the Pacific Ocean, Chinese researchers have uncovered a largely unknown ecosystem teeming with viruses, including “jumbo viruses.” In a landmark study published in Nature Communications, marine scientists mapped the viral diversity of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a 5.9-million-square-kilometer region of the Pacific Ocean that has become a major target for potential commercial deep-sea mining. The research provides an unprecedented biological…
With one eye on her baby in a pushchair, Minae Kamata operates an arcade machine in a Tokyo suburb, manipulating a claw to grab not a stuffed toy but a pack of toilet paper. As inflation weighs on Japanese households, huge arcades on the outskirts of major cities are installing claw machines filled with eggs, rice, laundry detergent and other necessities. The…
Intermittent fasting is an eating plan that focuses on when you eat rather than what or how much you eat, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, which unites physicians and scientists from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System. Johns Hopkins Medicine neuroscientist Mark Mattson, who has studied intermittent fasting for 25 years, said the…
With the perceived ouster of career health officials, Malacañang now stands accused of putting institutional stability and expert leadership at risk for political convenience. The uproar follows the exit of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire and other veteran DOH officials in what appears to be a politically motivated shake-up. About 55 professional medical groups signed a joint statement expressing concerns of what…
The Laguna Lake is fast deteriorating into the country’s “biggest septic tank,” Biñan City Rep. Walfredo “Arman” Dimaguila Jr. warned on Saturday, August 2. In an interview on DZRH News’ Special on Saturday, Rep. Dimaguila urged the Marcos Jr. administration to take urgent and science-based action to rehabilitate the vital water body affecting millions across Southern Luzon and Metro Manila. “Magkakaroon na…
The Iran war is showing why the Philippines can’t afford to neglect its farmers
A war thousands of kilometers away is beginning to ripple through something as basic as the Filipino dining table. The conflict involving Iran has pushed oil prices higher, disrupted key shipping routes, and strained global supply chains—especially for fertilizer, a critical input for food production. Farmers are already feeling the pressure. Fertilizer prices have surged by as much as 30% to 40%,…