World-Science

Meet the Philippine entry for International Mollusc of the Year! 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢, also locally known as “antingaw” in Bohol, is the first known shipworm that lives within and eats through rock.

Unlike the rest of the shipworm family, 𝘓. 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢 bores and burrows its way through limestone rather than wood. Its shell has uniquely evolved to cut through rock: while the teeth-like denticles of tamilok and ugaong are small and sharp, 𝘓. 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢 instead has denticles that are large and blunt. The mechanism of how this odd animal gets nutrients from rock remains a mystery. Scientists believe that it may harbor symbiotic microorganisms in its gills that help break down its inorganic diet, and that further study of these digestive processes may lead to future biotechnology products. With support from the DOST National Research Council of the Philippines, the UP Marine Science Institute is currently investigating this species through the "Teredinids and Associated Microbes: A Multi-level Investigation of Lifestyles and Outstanding Compounds as Sources of Novel Therapeutics" or TAMMILOC Project.

✅ Vote for 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢! bit.ly/IMOY2026_AntingawPH

𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢 is found exclusively in the Abatan River of Bohol, which is honored in its species name. Like its fellow shipworms in other regions, It is also eaten as a local delicacy.

This quirky and promising clam is representing the Philippines against Italy, Australia, the United States, and Seychelles for International Mollusc of the Year 2026. The annual competition is hosted by Senckenberg, Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance - SOSA, and Unitas Malacologica.

Let's show our national pride and give antingaw our full support! Public voting starts today and ends on April 26.

For more information about International Mollusc of the Year, visit the official website: https://www.unitasmalacologica.org/mollusc-of-the-year-2026.html

Read the original 2019 paper on its discovery: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.0434

Species Splash is an initiative of the UP Marine Science Institute that features the marine biodiversity being studied by our scientists. For interview requests and other media inquiries, please contact content(at)msi.upd.edu.ph.

Before the Big Bang, there were no stars, no planets, no galaxies—there wasn’t even space or time as we understand them today. According to modern cosmology, the Big Bang was not just an explosion in space, but the very moment when space and time themselves began to exist. This means asking what happened “before” the Big Bang is tricky, because time itself did not exist to define a “before.” Everything that now makes up the universe—matter, energy, space, and even the laws of physics—was once compressed into an unimaginably hot and dense state, often described as a singularity. In an instant, this state began to expand, giving birth to the universe and setting time into motion. As the universe expanded and cooled, it eventually formed particles, atoms, stars, and galaxies. So rather than thinking of the Big Bang as something that happened inside the universe, it is more accurate to say it was the beginning of the universe itself—the moment when everything started, emerging from a state beyond our current understanding of physics.

We have caught a spinning comet changing the direction in which it is spinning, a behaviour never seen before. It may be about to self-destruct, which would give us a rare chance to study the inside of a comet.