Imagine an artificial retina that restores sight or micro-devices implanted to monitor health in real time. This isn’t science fiction—it’s our new reality.

In this episode, we journey into the groundbreaking world of implantable technology. Discover the science driving these innovations, explore the life-changing devices already in use, and glimpse the remarkable advancements still on the horizon. How will these tiny marvels shape our understanding of human potential and redefine what it means to be human?

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Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. 

Executive Produced and Written by Lacey Peace. 

Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Daniel Brunelle. 

Story Editing by Daniel Brunelle. 

Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. 

Narrated by Matthew Powell. 

Video Production by Levi Hanusch. 

Guests featured in this episode (in order of appearance): 

• Alison Yorita, Staff Engineer for Lawrence Livermore’s Microsystem  Group
• Matthew Leonard, Associate Professor at the University of California, San Francisco in the Department of Neurosurgery
• Razi Haque, Implantable Microsystems Group Lead at LLNL

Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Over millennia, humanity has mastered fire, wind, steam and even the atom to fuel its progress. Now, we stand on the brink of the next monumental leap: fusion.

At the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a team of scientists and engineers has been working tirelessly to achieve Fusion Ignition, an achievement that could redefine energy as we know it. The road has been long and filled with challenges, but the promise of unlocking the energy that powers the stars is within reach.

As we revisit the groundbreaking efforts at NIF, the question remains: Can they overcome the final hurdles to create a fusion breakthrough, and what will that mean for the future of power on Earth?

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Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. 

Executive Produced and Written by Lacey Peace. 

Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Daniel Brunelle. 

Story Editing by Daniel Brunelle. 

Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. 

Narrated by Matthew Powell. 

Video Production by Levi Hanusch. 

Guests featured in this episode (in order of appearance): 

• Kim Budil, Director of LLNL
• Michael Stadermann, Program Manager for Target Fabrication at LLNL
• Teresa Bailey, Associate Program Director for LLNL's Computational Physics in the Weapons Simulation and Computing Team
• Tayyab Suratwala, Program Director for LLNL’s Optics and Materials Science and Technology Team
• Richard Town, Associate Program Director for Inertial Confinement Fusion Science at LLNL
• Jean-Michel Di Nicola, Program Co-Director for Laser Science and System Engineering at LLNL
• Kelly Hahn, Experimental Physicist and Diagnostician at LLNL

Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. 

Step inside LLNL’s National Ignition Facility, home to the world’s largest and most powerful laser. It’s a building as vast as three football fields, with beams amplified a million times in strength, all focused on a tiny target no bigger than a centimeter. The scale is immense, but the goal is even bigger: to create the most extreme conditions in the universe and unlock a revolutionary energy source.

But what does it really take to reach fusion ignition?

Join us as we explore the science, the stakes, and the people behind this incredible pursuit. Tune in to discover how a fleeting moment of triumph could change the future of energy forever.

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Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. 

Executive Produced and Written by Lacey Peace. 

Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Daniel Brunelle. 

Story Editing by Daniel Brunelle. 

Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. 

Narrated by Matthew Powell. 

Video Production by Levi Hanusch. 

Guests featured in this episode (in order of appearance): 

• Kim Budil, Director of LLNL
• Jean-Michel Di Nicola, Program Co-Director for Laser Science and System Engineering at LLNL
• Michael Stadermann, Program Manager for Target Fabrication at LLNL
•  Richard Town, Associate Program Director for Inertial Confinement Fusion Science at LLNL

Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. 

Strategic deterrence is the foundation of U.S. national defense, but it’s only as strong as the nuclear triad that supports it.

Think of the nuclear triad—land, sea and air—as a three-legged stool that holds up the entire strategy. For this "stool" to remain steady, the weapons, systems and devices within each leg must be credible.

But what does it take to ensure that credibility? And what role do the teams at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory play in keeping the U.S. secure? Tune in to find out.

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Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. 

Executive Produced and Written by Lacey Peace. 

Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Daniel Brunelle. 

Story Editing by Daniel Brunelle. 

Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. 

Narrated by Matthew Powell. 

Video Production by Levi Hanusch. 

Guests featured in this episode (in order of appearance): 

• Michael Zika, Principal Associate Deputy Director for Strategic Deterrence at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• Dr. Marvin Adams, Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration
• Brad Wallin, Deputy Director for Strategic Deterrence at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• Jong Oliver, Senior Advisor and Chief of Staff of LLNL’s Strategic Deterrence Directorate

Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.