In this episode of the Not Impossible Podcast, host and Not Impossible Labs founder Mick Ebeling sits down with neuroscientist Justin Sanchez to explore how innovative technology once considered science fiction is becoming real.

Justin leads advanced neurotechnology research at Battelle, one of the world’s largest nonprofit research organizations focused on turning breakthrough science into real-world impact.

From advanced robotic limbs that move through neural signals to technologies designed to restore movement and memory, this conversation explores how ideas born in government research programs evolve into practical tools that can improve everyday life.

Together, Mick and Justin unpack how the brain adapts to new technology, what it means to read from and write to the nervous system, and why some of the most powerful innovations still struggle to reach the people who need them most. Along the way, they discuss the ethical responsibility that comes with neurotechnology and what it takes to move breakthroughs beyond the lab and into the real world.

TOPICS COVERED

• Brain-computer interfaces and neural signal technology
• Advanced prosthetic limbs and natural movement control
• Wearable neurotechnology for rehabilitation
• Memory prosthetics and cognitive restoration research
• Ethical responsibility in emerging neurotechnology

• 
  What forever chemicals are and why they are so difficult to break down
• How PFAS ended up in everyday products and the environment
• The role microorganisms play in transforming harmful pollutants
• What scaling this technology looks like in real-world water treatment systems
  
  

• What parthenogenesis is (and why it’s not as rare as we think)
• How the team confirmed a virgin birth in an American crocodile
• Why the animal kingdom regularly breaks our “status quo” assumptions
• What this discovery means for evolution, genetics, and survival