A fresh look at data collected by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has uncovered more evidence that Saturn’s moon Enceladus may be able to support life, with additional complex organic molecules identified from the geyser-like jets of ice grains that spew into space from this small icy world’s subsurface ocean. Researchers reexamined in great detail data obtained …
OPINION
So, what if the notary was forged?
By Ade S. Fajardo Last week, Senator Rodante Marcoleta introduced a whistleblower at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. Reading from a notarized affidavit, Orly Guteza accused Ako Bicol’s Representative Elizaldy Co and former Speaker Martin Romualdez of receiving P1.68 billion in cash contained in several suitcases. Guteza alleged that 46 suitcases containing P48 million each …
Matteo Ricci’s quiet rebellion
By Herman M. Lagon Not all rebels come with fists raised or flags waving. Some walk into empires quietly — armed not with armies, but with a compass, a mind full of Euclid, and the grit to wait. Matteo Ricci, a mathematician-priest at heart, did just that. In 1582, this Italian Jesuit stepped into Ming …
Virtual Jesus? People of faith divided as AI enters religion
Artificial intelligence (AI), the technology upending nearly every corner of society, is creeping into religion, serving up virtual Jesus and automated sermons — a change drawing mixed reviews from the faithful. Religious chatbots and other faith-based digital tools are growing in number, offering counsel, comfort, and spiritual guidance during an age of rapidly transforming socialization …
When AI fuels distress
By Herman M. Lagon One evening, a student joked, “Sir, ChatGPT knows me better than my parents.” I laughed, though uneasily. That remark shows how deeply AI is creeping into our lives. We use it for meditation, stress advice, even resignation letters. Yet comfort often comes with unease. AI is no longer just a tool …
Assuming God’s attitude toward sinners
By Fr. Roy Cimagala This is a great challenge for us! Since we are God’s image and likeness, we should also try to assume the very same attitude God has towards sinners, or towards anyone with whom we have some differences and conflicts. And what is this attitude? It’s spelled out clearly in the gospel. …
Autism diagnosed later in life could be different form: study
People who are diagnosed with autism later in life could have a different form of the condition than those diagnosed during childhood, a large study said. The findings come as US President Donald Trump and his Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. have been spreading disinformation about autism, saying there is an “epidemic” of cases and …
1 in 4 people lack access to safe drinking water: UN
More than two billion people worldwide still lack access to safely-managed drinking water, the United Nations (UN) said, warning that progress towards universal coverage was moving nowhere near quickly enough. The UN’s health and children’s agencies said a full one in four people globally were without access to safely-managed drinking water last year, with over …
Disaster resilience is a moral imperative — not just a metric
By Ignacio R. Bunye The Philippines has once again been named the most disaster-prone country in the world. For the third consecutive year, we topped the World Risk Index — scoring 46.91 out of 100, the worst among 193 nations. This is not just a statistic. It is a sobering reflection of how vulnerable our …
Tourism beyond slogans
By Herman M. Lagon It hurts to say this about a place we love, but many of us whisper it on jeepney benches, in faculty rooms, and in airport lines that barely move: It is hard to love you right now, Philippines. The sea is still the kind of blue that calms the chest, the …