The Forensic Lens Podcast

Dame Jane Goodall’s death in October 2025 marked the end of an era in primatology—but her work continues to shape how we understand what it means to be human. In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I explore how Goodall’s six decades of chimpanzee research bridged biology, empathy, and ethics—revealing that humanity’s roots are not apart from nature, but within it. 📖 Read the full article...

In the Philippines, we often hear “peace and order” instead of “law and order.” But what happens when our instinct to avoid conflict — walang gulo — allows corruption and impunity to thrive? In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I explore how cultural values, biological anthropology, and political scandals intersect to reveal why silence too often replaces justice. Real peace, I argue, is...

When interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was spotted in July 2025, social media rushed to call it an alien probe. But as any forensic scientist knows, evidence comes first, speculation later. In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast , I unpack why a comet discovery is a perfect case study in disciplined reasoning. From classification to hypothesis testing, I explore how science systematically rules ou...

Are Filipinos simply “bad voters”—or are our brains and choices shaped by poverty, stress, and survival? In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I explore how neuroanthropology helps explain why clientelism and vote-buying persist, linking scarcity, cognitive load, malnutrition, and education deficits to short-term decision-making. The problem isn’t just political—it’s biological and cultura...

Ghost projects, padded contracts, and billions lost — the Philippine flood-control scandal has become a case study in systemic corruption. But beyond the headlines lies a deeper question: why do certain personalities keep rising to the top, and why does the system seem to reward them? In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I explore corruption through the lens of forensic behavioral science...

Luxury bags, ski trips, private jets — viral posts tied to the flood-control scandal ignited outrage across Philippine social media. But beyond memes and “nepo baby” backlash lies a forensic question: when do social posts stop being gossip and start becoming evidence? In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I explore how digital traces — screenshots, metadata, chat logs, even TikToks — can b...

When an IED explodes, most see wreckage. A forensic eye sees fragments that can reveal bomb-makers, supply chains, and networks. This is the essence of forensic intelligence — turning traces into strategy. In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I explore how forensic intelligence shifts the focus from courtroom evidence to operational foresight. Drawing from cases in the Philippines — from...

How much of who we are is written on the face? From family resemblances and DNA phenotyping to doppelgängers, expressions, and cultural interpretations, the face lies at the crossroads of biology and society. In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I explore what genes can and cannot reveal about appearance, how Filipino expressions carry unique meanings, and why snap judgments about “crimin...

What happens when the demands of forensic science collide with Filipino cultural beliefs — from fears of disturbing the dead to values like pakikisama, hiya, and utang-na-loob? In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I examine the tensions between tradition and scientific rigor, and why the Philippines must build a forensic science that is both methodologically strong and culturally responsi...

Behind every forensic technique lies a deeper truth: someone is missing, and someone else is waiting. From Australia’s National Missing Persons Week to the UN’s International Day of the Disappeared, the world remembers those taken by disaster, violence, or dictatorship. In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I reflect on the global struggle to recover the missing — from Latin America to the...

When torrential rains left dozens dead and displaced hundreds of thousands, President Marcos vowed to expose corruption in flood-control projects — projects meant to prevent catastrophe, not cause it. But how do we uncover the truth behind collapsed dikes, unfinished pump stations, and vanished funds? In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I argue that forensic thinking extends beyond crime...

Television shows like Bones introduced millions to the idea of the forensic anthropologist as a “bone expert.” But the real work goes far deeper. Forensic anthropology is about human evolution, variation, and the stories that bones still carry when everything else is gone. In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I unpack what forensic anthropology truly is — from distinguishing human from no...

When reports emerged that some of the missing sabungeros were murdered and dumped into Taal Lake, forensic science faced a haunting question: what happens to the human body in deep volcanic waters? In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I explore the role of taphonomy — the study of postmortem change — in unraveling the silence of water. From staining, sediment, and disarticulation to the o...

From Detective Conan dreams to the realities of the classroom, forensic science education in the Philippines has grown rapidly since 2012. Today, 17 universities offer forensic science programs, but many graduates still struggle to find relevant careers — a disconnect that threatens to undermine the field’s promise. In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I examine the challenges facing fore...

Forensic evidence is often presented in court with an air of certainty — but how certain are we, really? From bite marks to fingerprints to firearms, many methods still rely on the untested idea of “uniqueness.” Without error rates or statistical validation, confidence becomes assumption, not science. In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I explore why statistics are the backbone of credib...

In March 2025, the haunting discovery of Slovak tourist Michaela Mickova’s body in Boracay revealed more than a crime scene — it exposed the fragile state of forensic practice in the Philippines. Responders worked with courage, but without full protective gear or consistent protocols, the images underscored what CHED Chair Popoy De Vera has called a national “forensics crisis.” In this episode of...

What sets criminology, forensic science, and criminalistics apart? In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I unpack these often-confused fields, tracing their historical overlap in the Philippines, their evolving distinctions, and why clarity matters for the future of our justice system. From Lombroso’s outdated theories to today’s emerging National Forensics Institute, this episode explores...