How can international cooperation help strengthen forensic science in the Philippines—and ensure that its benefits endure long after training programs conclude?

In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I reflect on my participation in the Justice Through Science (JTS) Project in Baguio City, an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of State that brought together professionals from across the Philippine justice system for specialized forensic education and training.

Drawing from the JTS experience and international examples of forensic capacity-building, I examine why sustainable progress requires more than workshops and technical assistance. The Philippines needs advanced disciplinary expertise, locally validated forensic methods, stronger research infrastructure, and sustained collaboration among universities, laboratories, law enforcement, and the judiciary.

The ultimate measure of international cooperation is not simply how many professionals are trained, but whether local institutions develop the scientific knowledge, expertise, and independence to sustain and advance forensic science on their own.

📖 Read the full article on Agham Road.

🌐 Learn more about my work here.

#TheForensicLens #JusticeThroughScience #ForensicScience #ForensicEducation #PhilippineForensicScience

Would your beloved cat or dog eat you if you died alone at home? Forensic science suggests that even our most affectionate companions may eventually become scavengers.

In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I explore how animal scavenging alters human remains after death. Drawing from documented cases and a recent Greek forensic anthropology study, I examine how scavengers consume soft tissues, scatter bones, and leave marks that can be mistaken for trauma. These postmortem changes can complicate death investigations, making it essential to distinguish what caused death from what happened afterward.

Death does not end biological activity. Sometimes, what appears to be evidence of violence is simply evidence that nature continued its work.

📖 Read the full article on Agham Road.

🌐 Learn more about my work here.

#TheForensicLens #ForensicAnthropology #ForensicTaphonomy #AnimalScavenging #PostmortemChanges

Can refrigeration stop decomposition? Not quite.

In this episode of The Forensic Lens Podcast, I examine what happens when a body is placed in cold storage—and why refrigeration can complicate rather than simplify estimates of time since death. Using a recent decomposition study and the case of a woman found inside a refrigerator in Rodriguez, Rizal, I explore how microbial activity, insect development, body temperature, airflow, and prior decomposition can continue to shape the postmortem record even in the cold.

The episode also explains why forensic scientists cannot simply subtract the number of days a body spent refrigerated from the postmortem interval. Refrigeration becomes part of the body’s history, altering some biological clocks while leaving others partly active.

Cold can slow decomposition. It can distort the timeline. But it does not freeze death in place.

📖 Read the full article on Agham Road.

🌐 Learn more about my work here.

#TheForensicLens #ForensicTaphonomy #Decomposition #PostmortemInterval #ForensicScience