APTAS

𝐒𝐚𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬: 𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐒 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐛𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐂𝐒𝐜𝐢 🏆🌱

Aguman da ring Pantas ampong Talasuyu ning ACSci king Sciencia (APTAS) would like to congratulate and extend gratitude to all those who made this achievement possible 🩵!

Special mention to all club officers, the organization’s standard bearers in the pursuit of the sciences 🧠🔬. And most specially its club adviser, 𝐒𝐢𝐫 𝐀𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚, for continuing to serve as its guide and mentor throughout its journey 🫀.

Efforts and endeavors in continuing to make science accessible for the youth and the masses does not stop after this feat, rather, this stands as a checkpoint in its long journey to serving true to its purpose.

𝐈𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐲𝐮 𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐰𝐚𝐬, 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐲𝐮 𝐲𝐚 𝐤𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐤𝐨𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐝. 𝑳𝒖𝒊𝒅 𝒌𝒂, 𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑨𝑺! ✨

Dogs 🐶 and cats 🐱—whether stray or domesticated—deserve to be treated with love and care 💞. Even the simplest act of kindness is remembered and appreciated.

Last February 14, 2026 ❤️, the APTAS community, together with generous volunteers, spent Valentine’s Day at Lyka's Dog and Cat Shelter, donating dog and cat food and sharing meaningful moments with our furry friends 🐶🐱. It was truly a day well spent—connecting with the community while helping animals in need.

This project wouldn’t have been possible without all the caring hearts 💖 who reached out and donated. Every contribution—big or small—made a difference and is deeply appreciated. Thank you for your unending kindness and goodwill ✨🥳!

𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 | "𝐅𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐬"
> 𝐬𝐢𝐲𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐭feature🐧

Out of an estimated 11,000 species of birds, only about 60 extant species (translating to 1%) do not have the capability to fly. One of these creatures is the Spheniscidae—Known for their stylish yet functional tuxedo coats that allow them to inhabit temperate and freezing climates, they are simply known as penguins. Observing their anatomy, one may start to ponder on how these animals get to thrive in such harsh conditions, but a simple retrospective of the past can show that this reality came about from the long evolutionary journey of these creatures.

𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜 ❄️
As odd as it may sound, the physiological response of penguins to confidently face demands in extremely low temperatures arose in a phase of Earth’s history where it underwent immense greenhouse effects brought about by vast amounts of global warming gases in the atmosphere, likely due to active volcanism.

This key adaptation method that enables modern penguins to thrive in gelid lands and waters is the humeral arterial plexus—a network of blood vessels that restricts heat loss via their wings, acting as a vascular counter-current heat exchanger (CCHE).

Simply put, a CCHE mechanism, in what is coined as the Rete Mirabile region (Latin for “wonderful net”), involves warm blood entering the flippers then flows past cold blood exiting, thus simultaneously warming up blood that leaves and cooling down blood that goes in.

Scientists discovered this anatomical structure’s evolution by investigating seven live penguin species and 19 fossils. In their live specimens, it was observed that the plexus network left behind grooves and ridges in their upper arm bone or the humerus. Consequently, this allowed them to see when the structure had started to develop in penguin species that had already gone extinct.

𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 🪽
In a study that utilized a technical isotope analysis to examine the energy usage of the thick-billed murre or the Brünnich's guillemot (Uria lomvia), a bird known for its efficient diving second only to that of penguins, reveals why modern penguins are flightless.

John Speakman, a co-author of the study, summarizes the general behaviors of these birds by stating that, “Basically the birds do only three things: sit, swim, and fly. So by measuring lots of birds and combining their time budgets with the total costs of living from the isotope measures, it is possible to calculate how much each component of the budget costs.”

Conclusions from this isotope-based experiment is, according to Speakman, built on the assumption that penguins evolved from an auk-like ancestor, meaning both exhibited progressive wing size reduction. From the alcidae family, auks have exhibited an evolutionary trajectory of a decrease in wing size, which has translated to a specialization in wing-propelled diving.

While most modern auks such as puffins and the aforementioned murre can still fly, their wings are relatively smaller in comparison to other aquatic birds, thus making underwater paddling more efficient than flight. “Penguin bones also thickened over the ages, as lighter bones that make it easier for birds to fly gave way to more dense bones,” Speakman added, suggesting that this anatomical feature also paved the way for less buoyant bodies, and in turn, more effective diving.

𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 🩵
Some chronically online users may have heard of the term “pebbling”, which describes a gestural form of love that is expressed through sharing of either tangible or intangible items of value. With the pressing nature of social media as our primary mode of communication, people have unknowingly displayed behaviors similar to those of a particular species of penguins with curiously related explanations as to why both the former and latter do this.

Distinguished by their red beaks, the Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) may be seen nesting either on areas of the Antarctic Peninsula or in sub-Antarctic islands. Their nests are often built using materials such as tussock grass and moss when available, but may opt for pebbles in rockier environments.

In addition to their nesting behavior, loyal birds of the same species not only return to the same nesting site every year, but will also form lasting bonds with breeding partners. These partnerships have been observed to be established through their courtship using rocks.

These rocks, an object not even remotely considered as a primary symbol of love, serves as the tough foundation for these social creature’s strongly affectionate relationship with their mate. Their behavior goes about as follows: a male penguin collects rocks they deem attractive to a potential mate and allows him or her to choose the pebble of their liking. Once this offering establishes their bond, the process of building their nest then follows.

Narrated above showcases the evolution of how modern penguins came about. Not only scientifically, but also in simple behaviors that we display in everyday life. As we celebrate awareness of these black-and-white suited creatures, we take into account the significance they play in our environment and society: as sentinels that preserve ecological balance both on water and land, and as models of an unwavering strength to go far and surpass the highest challenges even without wings.

𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/131320-penguin-evolution-science-flight-diving-swimming-wings?loggedin=true&rnd=1768899983161
https://www.hopehealingtherapy.com/blog/2025/9/24/pebbling-and-neurodivergencenbsp-could-we-be-part-penguin
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna40774786
https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/seabirds/penguins

𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐬