Behind The Science Podcast

Mr. Marco Ibañez shares what it takes to become a storm chaser for the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, and his experience chasing Super Typhoon Uwan. 📚 Check out Marco's research papers: [1] Ibañez MP, Pura AG, Sajulga RA, David SJ. 2023. Raindrop Size Distribution (RSD) Characteristics during the Southwest Monsoon Period in Western Luzon, Philipp...

I talked with Dr. Arah Narida about a breakthrough in coral conservation. Their team achieved the world's first successful production of adult corals grown from cryopreserved larvae. 📚Reference: Arah Narida, Tsai S-Y, Hsieh W-C, Wen Z, Wang L-H, Huang Cc, Lin C. 2023. First successful production of adult corals derived from cryopreserved larvae . Frontiers in Marine Science. 10.‌ 🤝Behind The...

I talked with Ms. Angelyn Marmeto about her study on the genetic interaction between BT corn and traditional maize varieties in the Philippines. Their team discovered the first evidence of natural cross-pollination, where insect-resistant traits from genetically modified corn were transferred to a native variety known as Silangan. We discuss how this gene flow happened, what it means for insect re...

I talked with Mr. Gifford Jay Agudo about his study on land cover change and flood exposure in Quinali A Watershed, Albay. Using satellite remote sensing and flood modeling, his research tracks three decades of landscape transformation — from the loss of forests and brushlands to the rapid expansion of croplands and urban areas. The results reveal that urban growth is encroaching into flood-prone...

Scab diseases make fruits like mango, citrus, and sweet potato unappealing and unmarketable, but what if we could decode the fungus behind them down to its DNA? In this episode of Behind The Science Podcast, Dr. Leilani Sumabat-Dacones talked about her team’s discovery of the genes that make the fungus Elsinoë such an effective plant pathogen. Using bioinformatics, they analyzed fungal genomes to...

Dr. Reginald Bernardo shares how his recent study uses the hunting behavior of the Philippine Eagle as inspiration for optimizing cosmological models that describe the expansion of the universe. 📚Reference: Bernardo RC, Enriquez EA, Mendoza R, Reyes R, Velasco AC. 2025. Nature-inspired optimization, the Philippine Eagle, and cosmological parameter estimation . Astronomy and Computing. 54:101026....

Dr. Evelyn Ame evaluates how the Gentleman’s Agreement — an informal management agreement among fishers — is holding up in practice for managing the stocks of aramang in Aparri, Cagayan. Using catch data, gear analysis, and participatory appraisal, Dr. Ame reveals that fishing mortality rates are much higher than natural mortality, and the current exploitation level (E = 0.66) already exceeds sust...

In this episode, I talked with Prof. Floirendo Flores about his research on fortifying rice with vitamin A. His study looked at how β-carotene can be better preserved and released using β-cyclodextrin microencapsulation. By testing different methods, the research shows how rice can be made more nutritious. This study also received the NAST PHL Outstanding Scientific Paper Award. Prof. Flores also...

In this episode, I talked with Dr. Angelo Macario about his study on how fishhook size affects catch variation, size selectivity, and bycatch in bottom-set longline fisheries targeting nemipterid fishes in the Philippines. His research shows that the choice of hook size plays a crucial role in determining the sustainability of fish stocks and the livelihood of small-scale fishers. Angelo also shar...

In this episode of Behind the Science Podcast, I sat down with Dr. Carlos Primero Gundran to talk about disaster preparedness and response in the Philippines. He shares insights on the role of simulation training in preparing agencies for emergencies, the challenges of limited resources, and overlapping mandates. Drawing from his background in emergency medicine, Dr. Gundran highlights practical s...

In this episode, I talked with Dr. Edjohn Aaron Macauyag about his research on developing a low-cost technique to synthesize Bst DNA polymerase —an enzyme for detecting diseases like COVID-19— and reducing costs by over 90% using home ingredients like egg whites and powdered milk. 📚Reference: San Pedro VM, Cañas VA, Garcia JR, Lopez C, Zulueta M, Macauyag EA. 2025. A low-cost production method fo...

In this episode of Behind the Science Podcast, we talk with Dr. Melanie Villarao about her study “Reproductive Biology and Population Dynamics of Largehead Hairtail ( Trichiurus lepturus Linnaeus, 1758) in Babuyan Channel, Philippines.” They analyzed nearly 2,600 specimens of T. lepturus to determine sex ratio, fecundity, spawning seasonality, length at first maturity, and key population parameter...

In this episode of Behind the Science Podcast, we talked with Dr. Maria Victoria M. Sumagang about her study, “A P-graph Approach for Planning Sustainable Rice Straw Management Networks”, which received the 2025 Outstanding Scientific Paper Award by the National Academy of Science and Technology. The Philippines generates over 15 million tons of rice straw annually, much of which is still burned i...

In this episode, I talked with my twin brother Dr. Philip Flores about his research on developing a method to discriminate chiral molecules by shining a laser to the molecule and measuring the ejected electron's spin. 📚Reference: Flores, P. C. M., Carlström, S., Patchkovskii, S., Ivanov, M., Mujica, V., Ordonez, A. F., & Smirnova, O. (2025). Enantiosensitive locking of photoelectron spin and...

This episode of Behind The Science Podcast features Engr. Harold Aquino and his research on quantifying the impacts of earthquake disasters on the building construction sector using a SARIMA-based counterfactual analysis. 📚Reference: Aquino DHM, Domingo N, Atapattu C. 2025. Evaluating the impacts of earthquake disasters on the building construction sector: a SARIMA-based counterfactual analysis ....

In this episode, we talk with Mr. Erlo Matorres about the realities of coral reef restoration in the Philippines. We discussed the challenges practitioners face, such as the limited understanding of the guidelines and necessary permits before implementing a restoration project. 📚Reference: Matorres DE, Fabinyi M, Horigue V, Novilla CT, Baria-Rodriguez MV. 2024. Institutional dimensions of coral r...

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Justine Domingo about the pressing need to balance the Philippines’ rich mineral potential with the protection of its ecosystems in the context of climate change and natural hazards. The episode explores critical environmental research challenges in the mining sector, including the lack of baseline data and the limitations of current monitoring frameworks. We hig...

In this episode, Dr. Mudjekeewis Santos shares his journey as a fisheries scientist, the importance of scientific publishing, how to publish in The Philippine Journal of Fisheries, and the challenges faced by local journals in reaching global recognition. 📚How to publish in The Philippine Journal of Fisheries: ► https://nfrdi.da.gov.ph/tpjf/ 🤝Behind The Science Podcast is presented to you by Mar...

How long can rabbit meat stay safe without refrigeration? 🐇 In this episode of Behind the Science Podcast, we talk with Ms. Marielle Vergara about the changes in the bacterial load, pH, color, and other quality parameters of rabbit meat over time without refrigeration. The study determined how long the rabbit meat can be exposed to ambient conditions from the time of slaughtering until it is sold...

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Leonila Bautista about her study that estimated the epicenters and magnitudes of 485 earthquakes that occurred in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period by analyzing more than 6,000 historical accounts.📚Reference: Bautista, M. L. P., & Oike, K. (2000). Estimation of the magnitudes and epicenters of Philippine historical earthquakes . Tectonophysic...

Mr. Zenon Richard Mateo explains how earthquakes from the Philippine Fault shaped the shoreline of Lingayen Gulf during the past 2,400 years.📚Reference: Mateo, Z. R. P., & Siringan, F. P. (2007). ⁠⁠Tectonic control of high-frequency Holocene delta switching and fluvial migration in Lingayen Gulf bayhead, northwestern Philippines⁠⁠ . Journal of Coastal Research, 23(1), 182-194.🤝Behind The Sci...

In this episode, Mr. Christian Lualhati talked about his research on methane emissions from carabaos and how probiotics can play a key role in improving ruminant nutrition and reducing environmental impact. 📚Reference: Lualhati, C. V., Managa, K. R. D., Castillo, C. I., Llantada, P. L. T., & Del Barrio, A. N. (2025). Effe cts of Probiotic Supplementation on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digest...

In this episode, we explore marine natural products with Dr. Lilibeth Salvador-Reyes, a professor from UP Diliman. She shares insights into her research on cyanobacterial-inspired peptides, which are small molecules derived from cyanobacteria that could have biomedical applications.📚Reference: Casanova, J.R., Villaraza, A.J.L., & Salvador-Reyes, L.A. (18 March 2024). Synthesis and biological...

In this episode, we talk with Engr. Isaac Besarra about his study on flood risk in Carigara, Leyte under future climate change scenarios RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5. 📚Reference: Besarra, I., Opdyke, A., Mendoza, J.E., Delmendo, P.A., Santiago, J., Evangelista, D.J., Lagmay, A.M.F.A., 2025. The Cost of Flooding on Housing Under Climate Change in the Philippines: Examining Projected Damage at the Local Sca...

Can hot weather really cause brain aneurysms? In this episode, neurosurgeon Dr. Juan Silvestre Pascual discusses his study on the meteorological factors affecting aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in the Philippines. 📚Reference: Pascual JSG, Khu KO, Brillante EB, Te JT, Racoma BB, Ignacio KD, Legaspi GD. Meteorological Factors Affecting Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in the Philippines . Phi...