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

Justin leads groundbreaking work at DARPA, where researchers are tackling some of the hardest problems in neurotechnology. From advanced prosthetics that move and feel like natural limbs to brain-computer interfaces that help restore movement and memory, this conversation dives into how innovation happens at the edge of what’s possible.

Together, Mick and Justin unpack how the brain adapts to new tools, what it means to read from and write to the nervous system, and why some of the most powerful technologies in the world still struggle to reach the people who need them most. Along the way, they explore the ethical responsibility that comes with innovation and what it takes to move these breakthroughs from lab demos into everyday life.

This episode is a look at how innovation is built, why access matters, and how the future is already being shaped one thought at a time.

TOPICS COVERED

• What DARPA is and how it approaches high-risk innovation
• The technology behind advanced prosthetic limbs
• Wearable neurotechnology and rehabilitation
• Memory prosthetics and restoring cognitive function
• Ethical responsibility in emerging technology

• 
  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