Behind The Science Podcast

In this episode, we talk with Ms. Stephanie Tumampos, an award-winning science journalist and photographer, in a special episode with the Philosophy of Photography Club in celebration of 200 years of photography. We trace how photography became possible once people learned to capture light and how lenses and sensors shape the photos we take today. We also talk about what the Philosophy of Photography Club is, how it started, and the questions it asks: does a photo show reality as it is, and does having more images and data mean we actually know more?

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Cirilo Ybañez Jr. about his review of grouper (lapu-lapu) aquaculture in Asia. Groupers are prized as luxury seafood, and high market demand has driven the growth of grouper farming across the region. The review draws on 153 published studies from 1989 to 2023. It recorded 48 grouper species used in aquaculture in Asia, plus 16 hybrids (offspring of crosses between two grouper species), several of which are already farmed. Based on 2015 data, China, Taiwan, and Indonesia together accounted for an estimated 93% of global production.

📚Reference: Ybañez CO Jr, Gonzales RC. 2023. Challenges and progress of grouper aquaculture in Asia: a review. Davao Res J. 14(2):6–29.

In this episode, we talk with Mr. Jhonnel Villegas about his study examining the conservation of the Philippine brown deer (Rusa marianna Desmarest, 1822) in Davao Oriental with a focus on the perspectives and traditions of the Mandaya Indigenous people. The deer, considered sacred and a cultural symbol, faces declining populations due to poverty-driven hunting and deforestation. Through interviews and observations, the study finds that the Mandaya’s beliefs, traditional practices, and knowledge influence conservation efforts. Collaborative communication, culturally sensitive and future-oriented conservation strategies, and Indigenous-managed protected landscapes are recommended to balance cultural traditions and wildlife protection. Involving Indigenous peoples is crucial for effective and sustainable deer conservation in the Philippines.

📚Reference: Villegas JP, Pua LR, Vidláková A, Ceacero F. 2025. Human–wildlife interactions: cultural sensitivities and perspectives influence the conservation of the Philippine brown deer (Rusa marianna Desmarest, 1822). Animals. 15(23):3397.

In this episode, we talk with Mr. Aris Paolo Castro, an instructor at the National Institute of Geological Sciences, UP Diliman, about his study tracking how Mayon Volcano's lava dome grew and collapsed during its 2023 eruption. Using free satellite images from Landsat and Sentinel-2, the study tracked Mayon's summit from August 2022 to December 2023 and identified five phases where the dome grew and four phases where it collapsed, cross-checking each observation against PHIVOLCS's daily activity bulletins.

📚Reference: Castro AP, Jatulan PM, Principe JA, Tamondong AM. 2026. Spatiotemporal modeling of lava dome evolution of Mt. Mayon during its 2023 eruption using remote sensing data. ISPRS Ann Photogramm Remote Sens Spat Inf Sci. X-5/W4-2025:159–164.

In this episode, we talk with Mr. Karl Fritze S. Sampiano, an entomologist and faculty member at Davao Oriental State University, about his study on the risks and policy responses needed for the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) invasion in the Davao Region. First detected in the Philippines in 2019, this invasive pest — native to the Americas and capable of flying up to 100 kilometers in a single night — has spread rapidly across the country's corn and rice farms.
📚Reference: Sampiano KFS. 2026. Assessing regional risks and policy responses to fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) invasion in Davao Region. Davao Res J. 17(1):14–20.