Rebelliously Curious with Chrissy Newton: UFOs, Science, Culture and Futurism

Today, we're diving into one of the most fascinating and rapidly evolving frontiers: brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, but from a European perspective.

Joining us is Dr. Martin Schüttler, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at CorTec, the first German company at the forefront of neural interface innovation. From restoring lost function to potentially redefining how we interact with machines—and even our own biology—BCIs are no longer science fiction. In this conversation, we'll explore Martin's journey into the BCI community, what sets Germany's approach apart on the global stage, and how neural technology could intersect with the complex human nervous system.

We'll also tackle big-picture questions around privacy, policy, and power: Who owns brain data? Can global standards keep up with innovation? And what happens when this technology moves beyond the lab and into everyday life?

Join us as we get rebelliously curious.

Follow Chrissy Newton:

Winner of the Canadian Podcast Awards for Best Science Series.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM32gjHqMnYl_MOHZetC8Eg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingchrissynewton/

X: https://twitter.com/chrissynewton?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeingChrissyNewton

Chrissy Newton's Website: https://chrissynewton.com

Top Canadian Science Podcast: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/canadian_science_podcasts/

Today's episode explores one of the most disturbing intelligence programs of the Cold War: MKUltra. For decades, the Central Intelligence Agency ran secret experiments attempting to understand — and potentially control — the human mind.

These programs tested everything from psychological manipulation to drugs like LSD, often without the consent of the people involved. While many people associate MKUltra with experiments in the United States, some of the most controversial cases actually happened in Canada — particularly at the Allan Memorial Institute in Montreal under Dr. Donald Ewen Cameron.

His experiments, including techniques known as "depatterning" and "psychic driving," aimed to erase and rebuild aspects of a person's personality. Today, we're going to unpack the Canadian connection to MKUltra, the real victims of these experiments, and how some of these techniques influenced later psychological and military research. We'll also talk about related programs — from intelligence research into ESP, how MKUltra tactics have been used in Guantanamo Bay, to remote viewing projects like the Stargate, which included well‑known remote viewer Joe McMoneagle. And finally, we'll look at the bigger question: how ideas about mind influence, psychological warfare, and emerging technologies might shape the future.

Join us as we get rebelliously curious!

Follow Chrissy Newton:

Winner of the Canadian Podcast Awards for Best Science Series.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM32gjHqMnYl_MOHZetC8Eg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingchrissynewton/

X: https://twitter.com/chrissynewton?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeingChrissyNewton

Chrissy Newton's Website: https://chrissynewton.com

Top Canadian Science Podcast: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/canadian_science_podcasts/

Today, we're exploring Indigenous experiences, history, and the ongoing journey toward truth and reconciliation.

Our guest is Maeengan Linklater, Anishinaabe, from Lac Seul First Nation in Ontario, with more than 25 years of experience across the non-profit, government, and private sectors, and he is a father, community volunteer, and poet. In this episode, we'll discuss the painful legacy of residential schools, their lasting impact on Indigenous communities, and the work being done to uncover truths, honour survivors, and move toward reconciliation. We'll also touch on lesser-known aspects of this history, including unconventional psychic experiments on Indigenous children at residential schools.

Today's conversation invites us to listen, reflect, and think critically about the path forward.

Join us as we get rebelliously curious.

Follow Chrissy Newton:

Winner of the Canadian Podcast Awards for Best Science Series.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM32gjHqMnYl_MOHZetC8Eg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingchrissynewton/

X: https://twitter.com/chrissynewton?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeingChrissyNewton

Chrissy Newton's Website: https://chrissynewton.com

Top Canadian Science Podcast: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/canadian_science_podcasts/

From the earliest days of rocketry, progress has always belonged to the scientist willing to think beyond the limits of their time.

Long before rockets reached orbit, pioneers like Robert H. Goddard laid the mathematical and experimental foundations that proved spaceflight was even possible. And not long after, figures like Jack Parsons helped turn theory into raw, explosive reality—building the propulsion systems that would eventually carry humanity beyond Earth.

Today, we stand at a similar inflection point. Chemical rockets took us to the Moon, but if humanity is going to reach the stars, we'll need ideas that once again sound impossible—until they aren't. In this episode, we're exploring one of the most fantastic frontiers in modern physics: warp drive theory.

Our guest is Harold "Sonny" White, a mechanical and aerospace engineer, and applied physicist an Founder & CEO, Casimir.

Join us as we get rebelliously curious.

Follow Chrissy Newton:

Winner of the Canadian Podcast Awards for Best Science Series.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM32gjHqMnYl_MOHZetC8Eg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingchrissynewton/

X: https://twitter.com/chrissynewton?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeingChrissyNewton

Chrissy Newton's Website: https://chrissynewton.com

Top Canadian Science Podcast: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/canadian_science_podcasts/

Today, we're talking with Gregg Bishop, author of Project Beta, a leading researcher into UAPs and one of the most infamous disinformation campaigns in UFO history. We'll cover his journey into UAP research, his investigations into Richard Doty and the Paul Bennewitz case, the fallout from the 1989 MUFON conference, and his thoughts on misinformation in today's UAP landscape. If you're curious about what's real and what's deliberately hidden in the UAP landscape, this episode is for you.

Join us as we get rebelliously curious.

Follow Chrissy Newton:

Winner of the Canadian Podcast Awards for Best Science Series.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM32gjHqMnYl_MOHZetC8Eg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingchrissynewton/

X: https://twitter.com/chrissynewton?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeingChrissyNewton

Chrissy Newton's Website: https://chrissynewton.com

Top Canadian Science Podcast: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/canadian_science_podcasts/

Today, we're diving into one of the most fascinating topics, near-death experiences, and one of the deeply human questions of our time: What happens when we come close to death—and why does it change people forever?

Joining me is Dr. Marieta Pehlivanova, Research Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and a leading researcher at the renowned Division of Perceptual Studies.

Today, we explore what near-death experiences are, what people report during them, why these moments are so transformative, and how her research is shaping new approaches to care and support for those who've experienced them. We'll also take a look at how science is evolving to better understand these experiences—and where the field is headed next.

Follow Chrissy Newton:

Winner of the Canadian Podcast Awards for Best Science Series.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM32gjHqMnYl_MOHZetC8Eg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingchrissynewton/

X: https://twitter.com/chrissynewton?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeingChrissyNewton

Chrissy Newton's Website: https://chrissynewton.com

Top Canadian Science Podcast: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/canadian_science_podcasts/

What happens when technology starts to read your mind — or even predict your thoughts before you have them? In this episode, we dive deep into the rapidly evolving frontier of brain–computer interfaces, or BCIs — a technology once confined to science fiction that's now redefining what it means to be human.

Joining me today is Florian Solzbacher, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of Blackrock Neurotech, one of the world's leading companies in neural interface technology. We'll explore everything from invasive vs. non-invasive BCIs, privacy and "mind data," policy gaps, and the risks of unconscious influence, to the global implications of brain–computer interfaces — including China's growing leadership in the field and past and future funding from government agencies like DARPA.

Follow Chrissy Newton:

Winner of the Canadian Podcast Awards for Best Science Series.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM32gjHqMnYl_MOHZetC8Eg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingchrissynewton/

X: https://twitter.com/chrissynewton?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeingChrissyNewton

Chrissy Newton's Website: https://chrissynewton.com

Top Canadian Science Podcast: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/canadian_science_podcasts/

Today, we're exploring the science of breath — ancient practices meeting modern neuroscience. My guest is Amy Kartar, a neuroscientist and breathwork researcher who's uncovering how high-ventilation breathwork, paired with music, can induce profound altered states of consciousness — the kind once only associated with psychedelics, but completely drug-free.

We'll talk about how this practice changes the brain, why it could help people process emotional pain, and how centuries-old spiritual traditions are finally being validated by modern science. Get ready to discover the mind's incredible potential — one breath at a time.

Follow Chrissy Newton:

Winner of the Canadian Podcast Awards for Best Science Series.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM32gjHqMnYl_MOHZetC8Eg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingchrissynewton/

X: https://twitter.com/chrissynewton?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeingChrissyNewton

Chrissy Newton's Website: https://chrissynewton.com

Top Canadian Science Podcast: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/canadian_science_podcasts/

Open-source intelligence provides a unique view into how government media surveillance operates — revealing how agencies can misrepresent information both publicly and internally. These manipulations often serve to create a controlled narrative from the inside out.

Anthony Miller joins me to discuss his firsthand experience as an Open-Source Intelligence Analyst, how witnessing this shaped his perspective, and what ultimately led him into UAP research and the creation of his podcast, Fire In The Cosmos.

Join us as we get rebelliously curious.

Fire in the Cosmos Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/fire-in-the-cosmos-formerly-obliterate-the-construct/id1790514005

Fire in the Cosmos Podcast (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-FAVgj-p3QPhs5HdsQIEBA

Watch the YouTube interview - https://www.youtube.com/@RebelliouslyCurious

Follow Chrissy Newton:

Winner of the Canadian Podcast Awards for Best Science Series.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM32gjHqMnYl_MOHZetC8Eg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingchrissynewton/

X: https://twitter.com/chrissynewton?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeingChrissyNewton

Chrissy Newton's Website: https://chrissynewton.com

Top Canadian Science Podcast: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/canadian_science_podcasts/

My guest is Dr. Marina Weiler, a neuroscientist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia's Division of Perceptual Studies, also known as DOPS.

DOPS is one of the few academic research units in the world dedicated to exploring questions at the very frontier of science and spirituality—questions like: What happens when we die? Does consciousness exist beyond the brain? And how do we rigorously study phenomena often dismissed as "paranormal"?

With her background in medical sciences and neuroscience, Dr. Weiler brings both a skeptical eye and an open mind to this work. Together, we'll explore how DOPS approaches the scientific study of near-death and out-of-body experiences, the survival of consciousness after death, and even reported cases of reincarnation.

This is a conversation that pushes us to the edge of what we know—and what we think we know—about mind, memory, and the mysteries of being human.

Join us as we get rebelliously curious.

Watch the YouTube interview - https://www.youtube.com/@RebelliouslyCurious

Follow Chrissy Newton:

Winner of the Canadian Podcast Awards for Best Science Series.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM32gjHqMnYl_MOHZetC8Eg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingchrissynewton/

X: https://twitter.com/chrissynewton?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeingChrissyNewton

Chrissy Newton's Website: https://chrissynewton.com

Top Canadian Science Podcast: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/canadian_science_podcasts/