Hosted by EIC Mikael Angelo Francisco, Ask Theory shines the spotlight on Pinoy scientific brilliance, in a fun and entertaining “kwentuhan” format. Each episode of Ask Theory features a Pinoy scientist from one of the various scientific disciplines. In a very casual conversation, guests explain what they do in simple terms, as well as share their fascinating stories: how they got into science, the challenges they face, what motivates them to pursue their fields, what future scientists from the Philippines can look forward to, and so much more.
Episode 109: Ano Ang Kakaiba Sa DNA Ng Pinoy?
Frederick Delfin leads one of two human population-based genomics projects under the Filipino Genomes Research Program (FGRP) at the DNA Analysis Laboratory of the UP Natural Sciences Research Institute (UP-NSRI). His research focuses on human population genetics, evolutionary genetics and molecular anthropology. He has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of the Philippines Baguio, and a Master’s degree from the Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Program (now the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology) of UP Diliman. His doctoral fellowship training was through the International Max Planck Research School for Human Origins at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany and through the Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands.
We talked about why genomics is an important field of study, the DNA of the Filipino, the benefits we enjoy from studying genetics, the process of conducting human genomics research, why some people reject scientific ideas despite the existence of evidence, and more.
How to contact Frederick:
- Email: fcdelfin@up.edu.ph
- Facebook (UP-NSRI DNA Analysis Laboratory): fb.com/DNAForensicAndEthnicity
The Filipino Genomes Research Program (FGRP) is searching for partner-volunteers for the National Capital Region and other Filipino groups from different regional population centers. Interested individuals may refer to photos on the DAL FB page (fb.com/DNAForensicAndEthnicity) for more details.
Listen to Ask Theory Episode 109 here:
(Full transcript to follow; watch this page for updates)
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