Brain's Resilience, Heart Cell Stimulation, and Soft Robot Medical Tech w/ Ralph Bond

Show Notes 3 October 2025

Story 1: Some Layers of Your Brain Actually Get Stronger as You Age

• Source: ScienceAlert.com
• Story by: Michelle Starr
• Link: https://www.sciencealert.com/some-layers-of-your-brain-actually-get-stronger-as-you-age
• Research Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-02013-1

Story 2: Engineers harness light to help heart cells beat stronger and healthier

• Source: Knowridge.com (News from UC Irvine)
• Link: https://knowridge.com/2025/09/engineers-harness-light-to-help-heart-cells-beat-stronger-and-healthier/
• Research Paper: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2509467122

Story 3: UCSB-designed soft robot intubation device could save lives

• Source: UC Santa Barbara “The Current”
• Story by: Sonia Fernandez
• Link: https://news.ucsb.edu/2025/022019/ucsb-designed-soft-robot-intubation-device-could-save-lives
• Research Paper: https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.ads7681

Story 4: Wi-Fi sleep monitoring method offers a non-intrusive, accurate alternative to more cumbersome techniques

• Source: MedicalXpress.com
• Story by: David Bradley
• Link: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/wi-fi-sleep-monitoring-method-offers-a-non-intrusive-accurate-alternative-to-more-cumbersome-techniques/ar-AA1Mn7tv
• Research Paper: https://www.inderscience.com/info/inarticle.php?artid=148201

Honorable Mentions

• Story: A new catalyst could make mixed plastic recycling a reality
  • Source: Phys.org
  • Story by: Robert Egan
  • Link: https://phys.org/news/2025-09-catalyst-plastic-recycling-reality.html
  • Research Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-025-01892-y
• Story: A New Solar Panel Shield Made From Onion Peels Outlasted Industry Plastics in Tests
  • Source: ZME Science
  • Story by: Tudor Tarita
  • Link: https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/renewable-energy-ecology/a-new-solar-panel-shield-made-from-onion-peels-outlasted-industry-plastics-in-tests/
• Story: Bio-oil made with corn stalks, wood debris could plug orphaned fossil fuel wells
  • Source: Iowa State University
  • Link: https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/bio-oil-made-corn-stalks-wood-debris-could-plug-orphaned-fossil-fuel-wells
• Story: Biochar yields triple win for cotton: Healthier soil, less water, and 87% less nitrogen runoff
  • Source: Anthropocene Magazine
  • Story by: Emma Bryce
  • Link: https://www.realclearscience.com/2025/08/11/biochar_yields_a_triple_win_for_cotton_1127969.html