When one imagines the applications of a medical education, one typically thinks of working in a hospital or clinic, perhaps even providing medical expertise in a courtroom; but what about furthering the progress of archaeology? Recently, a team of scientists were able to perform the first full human genome sequencing of one of the victims of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii, a disaster which killed the entire population of that thriving beach town and preserved it under a layer of volcanic ash for nearly 2000 years. This amazing feat is a major breakthrough in the fields of both biology, pushing the boundaries of genome sequencing of damaged and ancient specimens, and archaeology, with the potential to learn more about the genetic and health makeup of the people of the distant past.

A key player in this discovery is Dr. Fabio Macciardi, a Molecular Psychiatrist and Professor at CUSM. We will be interviewing Dr. Macciardi as to how he got involved in this fascinating project, and on how he blends together his work in Molecular Genetics, Psychiatry, and Ancient Mediterranean History.

Music: https://pixabay.com/music/id-112777/

Episode Team:
Guest - Fabio Macciardi, M.D., Ph.D.
Host - Peter Bota (MS2)
Script Writer - Peter Bota (MS2)
Audio - Katrina Kao (MS2), Anthony Mamaril (MS2)
Producers - Peter Bota (MS2), Yuu Ohno (MS2)
Director - Vy Han, MD