Best Bioelectronics Podcasts (2025)

1
Meet The ‘Planet Hunter’ Searching For Alien Life, with Jacob Bean 34:09

3d ago34:09

34:09

The search for life beyond Earth is no longer science fiction—it takes a lot of data, powerful telescopes and a bit of cosmic detective work. And at the center of this search is University of Chicago astrophysicist Jacob Bean. Bean was part of the team that made history by detecting carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a distant planet using the Jam…

1
Episode 8: Two-beam interferometry experiment characterizes lightsail propulsion 5:20

6d ago5:20

5:20

In this podcast episode, MRS Bulletin’s Laura Leay interviews Harry Atwater from the California Institute of Technology about his study on lightsail propulsion in order to understand how the device can be developed to do fly-by space travel riding a beam of laser light. Atwater’s research group made a square prototype device where the researchers i…

1
Episode 7: Nanotomography enables insight into the microstructure of a material 4:52

9d ago4:52

4:52

In this podcast episode, MRS Bulletin’s Laura Leay interviews Ashwin Shahini and Alan Taub from the University of Michigan about their group’s simulations and experimental work detailing the formation mechanisms, morphologies, and microstructures of an in situ Al/TiC metal matrix nanocomposites processed via salt flux reaction. Using these insights…

1
How To Stop Gun Violence Before It Starts, with Jens Ludwig 30:26

17d ago30:26

30:26

Despite decades of policy ideas, pouring millions of dollars into the problem, and a slow pace of gun control measures, the United States hasn’t made much progress on curbing the epidemic of gun violence in our country. For the past 25 years, Prof. Jens Ludwig of the University of Chicago has examined the questions of: Why does gun violence happen,…

1
Can Your DNA Predict Your Future?, with Dalton Conley 34:25

1M ago34:25

34:25

What if a single number, derived from your DNA, could predict your income, education level or even who you're likely to marry? In his new book “The Social Genome,” Princeton University sociologist Dalton Conley explores the science behind how our genes are shaping our society in ways that are both profound and unsettling. Conley explains how our ge…

1
Can You Really Die of a Broken Heart? The Hidden Dangers of Grief, with Mary Frances O'Connor 31:58

1M ago31:58

31:58

When we lose someone, we love, we often say we have a broken heart—but what if that’s not just a metaphor? In her new book “The Grieving Body: How The Stress of Loss Can Be An Opportunity For Healing” University of Arizona Professor of Psychology Mary Frances O’Connor shares groundbreaking insights into the biological and physiological impacts grie…

1
Episode 6: Nanocube self-assembly pathways uncovered 4:23

2M ago4:23

4:23

In this podcast episode, MRS Bulletin’s Sophia Chen interviews Xingchen Ye of Indiana University about his research group’s studies on the fundamental behavior of colloidal materials. Colloidal materials consist of liquids with nanoparticles suspended in them. Ye’s team is interested in how a colloidal material’s properties change as the team spati…

1
The Science Behind Raising Successful Kids, with Ariel Kalil 31:19

2M ago31:19

31:19

New federal data paints a stark picture: American children are falling behind in reading and test scores, with the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged kids growing wider. But is this really just a problem of money? University of Chicago Developmental psychologist Ariel Kalil has spent her career studying how parents influence childhood develop…

1
Episode 5: Triboelectric nanogenerator powered by wind-driven leaf motion 5:59

2M ago5:59

5:59

In this podcast episode, MRS Bulletin’s Laura Leay interviews Fabian Meder from the Italian Institute of Technology in Genova and the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Piza, Italy about his research group’s device that makes use of wind-driven plant leaf motion to generate electricity which can power a chemical delivery system. Their triboele…

1
And then came the microelectrode...! 17:40

2M ago17:40

17:40

How do we even know what constitutes the heart beat? What was the reason for all those abnormal rhythms of the heart? Why does it happen? The answer lies in the small, cylindrical glass tube called the micropipetter, which was used to create a microelectrode. Here it is, on how the microelectrode changed the face of cardiology. SKRAPS is your podca…

1
Do Animals Understand Death?, with Susana Monsó 31:58

2M ago31:58

31:58

What does it mean to understand death? For centuries, philosophers have argued that only humans can truly comprehend mortality. But what if they’re wrong? In this episode, we speak with philosopher Susana Monsó, author of Playing Possum: How Animals Understand Death, to explore whether animals can grasp their own mortality. From grieving elephants …

1
Episode 4: Researchers pinpoint AI/ML training set to achieve accurate predictions 4:00

2M ago4:00

4:00

In this podcast episode, MRS Bulletin’s Sophia Chen interviews Bowen Deng, a graduate student in Gerbrand Ceder’s group at the University of California, Berkeley, about their work on increasing the accuracy of artificial intelligence/machine learning materials prediction models. The use of computer simulations to predict the interaction between ato…

1
Sudor Anglicus: The English Sweating Sickness 22:58

3M ago22:58

22:58

What connects Tudor England, Ann Boleyn, Henry the VIII, autonomic nervous system and a flash mob like wave of a deadly disease? There is only way to find out. Inspired by this paper and Dr. Ali Christy's X thread. SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance…

1
Why Measles Is Resurging—And The Rise Of Vaccine Hesitancy, with Adam Ratner 35:03

3M ago35:03

35:03

In 2000, the United States declared that measles had been eliminated. But just 15 years later, the disease made a comeback—and it hasn’t gone away since. In this episode, Dr. Adam Ratner, director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at NYU and author of Booster Shots: The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Children's…

1
R.I.P ... CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service 14:10

3M ago14:10

14:10

This story was inspired by the post on X by Dr. Farsad Mostashari. Center for Disease Control has been at the forefront of many of the alerts (true and false) and now it's officially gone... This is a sombre take on what has happened. SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of …

1
Episode 3: Surface defects control bulk properties of lead halide perovskites 3:58

3M ago3:58

3:58

In this podcast episode, MRS Bulletin’s Laura Leay interviews David Cahen from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, about the impact surface defects have on bulk properties, specifically in the case of lead halide perovskites. In a perspective he co-authored, Cahen connected numerous experimental data from other researchers that exposed this …

1
The Little-Known Secrets To A Good Life, with Shigehiro Oishi 33:18

3M ago33:18

33:18

What makes a good life? For decades, psychologists have debated whether true fulfillment comes from happiness—a life of comfort and joy—or meaning—a life of purpose and impact. But what if there's a third way? University of Chicago psychology professor Shigehiro Oishi has spent his career studying happiness, meaning, and what truly brings people de…

1
Episode 2: Compression activates optical tuning in smart window 4:47

3M ago4:47

4:47

In this podcast episode, MRS Bulletin’s Sophia Chen interviews Gwangmin Bae of Korea University about his work with colleagues on the design of a new smart window system that utilizes compression. Like other smart windows, this window makes use of pores within the material to adjust its transparency. However, instead of using a stretchy material th…

1
How Bioelectronics Could Heal Our Bodies And Minds, with Bozhi Tian 29:17

4M ago29:17

29:17

Imagine a future in which Band-Aids talk to your cells, pacemakers are powered by light and your gut microbiome gets a tune-up—all thanks to tiny bioelectric devices. Sounds like sci-fi, right? Think again. Prof. Bozhi Tian of the University of Chicago is on the frontier of bioelectronics, building living machines that can heal, enhance and maybe e…

1
Episode 1: Carbon fiber-based structural battery serves multiple functions 4:33

4M ago4:33

4:33

In this podcast episode, MRS Bulletin’s Laura Leay interviews Leif Asp of Chalmers University of Technology about his group’s development of an all-carbon fiber-based structural battery. The negative electrode uses carbon fiber and, for the positive electrode, the carbon fiber is coated with lithium iron phosphate. In both cases the carbon fiber ta…

1
Could A Fungal Pandemic Be “The Last of Us?", with Arturo Casadevall 26:53

4M ago26:53

26:53

Five years after COVID became a global pandemic, could another health crisis be on our horizon? According to scientists who study diseases, the possibility of a fungal pandemic—the subject of science fiction TV shows like “The Last of Us,” could be more of a reality, thanks to climate change and our warming planet. As fungi are adapting to warmer c…

1
The "Magic Words" That Turn Resolutions Into Reality 32:20

5M ago32:20

32:20

As we step into 2025, many of us are thinking about how to turn our New Year's resolutions into lasting changes. But what if the secret to success lies not in willpower but in the words we use every day? To kick off the year, we’re sharing our past episode with Jonah Berger, a professor at The Wharton School and author of Magic Words: What to Say t…

1
What’s The Truth About Alcohol’s Benefits And Risks? with Tim Stockwell 32:37

5M ago32:37

32:37

We have long heard the claims that a glass of red wine is good for your heart, but it turns out that the research that fueled this wisdom was actually skewed. Some studies made it appear like moderate drinkers were healthier than people who didn't drink at all, leading the public to believe that alcohol was healthier than it is. While drinking alco…

1
What Happens When We Die? with Sam Parnia 30:29

5M ago30:29

30:29

For centuries, death has been seen as a final, inescapable line—a moment when the heart stops and the brain ceases to function. But revolutionary research asks: What if everything we thought we knew about death was wrong? Sam Parnia, an associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone, is the author of Lucid Dying: The New Science Revolutionizing How…

1
The Illusion of Moral Decline 32:02

6M ago32:02

32:02

This year’s election might have been the most contentious in modern memory. It's not just that politics have changed, but it seems that people have too. You’ve probably heard this phrase: “People aren’t as kind as they used to be”. Maybe you’ve experienced the feeling that people are acting meaner to each other, year after year. But is it true? Are…

1
Episode 23: Frontal polymerization controls materials properties 5:53

6M ago5:53

5:53

In this podcast episode, MRS Bulletin’s Laura Leay interviews Nancy Sottos, the Maybelle Leland Swanlund Endowed Chair and head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois–Urbana Champaign (UIUC), and Justine Paul, a former student at UIUC who now holds a position at DuPont, about their work with frontal pol…

1
Episode 22: Additive manufacturing enhances toughness in formable cementitious materials 4:24

6M ago4:24

4:24

In this podcast episode, MRS Bulletin’s Laura Leay interviews Reza Moini of Princeton University about his group’s development of an enhanced additive manufacturing technique to fabricate cementitious materials with excellent fracture toughness. They based their design of the material on the double-helical or double-bouligand structure of coelacant…

1
Can We Predict The Unpredictable? with J. Doyne Farmer 33:14

6M ago33:14

33:14

What if we could predict the economy the way we predict the weather? What if governments could run simulations to forecast the effects of new policies—before they happen? And what if the key to all of this lies in the same chaotic systems that explain spinning roulette wheels and rolling dice? J. Doyne Farmer is a University of Oxford professor, co…

1
Episode 21: Hierarchical ceramics resist crack propagation 5:28

6M ago5:28

5:28

In this podcast episode, MRS Bulletin’s Sophia Chen interviews postdoctoral research fellow Rohit Pratyush Behera and Prof. Hortense Le Ferrand of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore about their design of a strong and tough ceramic that absorbs energy, inspired from biology. They borrowed microscopic designs found in a mollusk, a mantis s…

1
Unlocking The Secrets Of ‘SuperAgers’, with Emily Rogalski 22:33

7M ago22:33

22:33

https://haarc.center.uchicago.edu/We used to think aging inevitably led to memory loss, but a small group of people—known as SuperAgers—are defying the odds. These individuals, all over 80, have the memory performance of someone in the 50s. The question is: how? One of the leading experts studying SuperAgers is University of Chicago neurologist Emi…

1
2024 Nobel Laureate Explains What Makes Countries Fail Or Succeed, with James A. Robinson 29:13

7M ago29:13

29:13

On Big Brains, we get to speak to a lot of groundbreaking scholars and experts, but some conversations we walk away knowing we’ve just heard from someone who is really changing the world. We certainly felt that way years ago after talking to University of Chicago scholar James Robinson, and it turns out…the Nobel Prize committee agreed in 2024 when…

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Bioelectronics Podcasts

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