The Healthier Tech Podcast

New research reveals that small-spotted catsharks -- animals with a remarkable built-in ability to sense electromagnetic fields -- show measurable behavioral changes when exposed to the kind of EMF produced by subsea power cables.
In this episode, I break down a 2025 study published in Marine Environmental Research by Hermans and colleagues, which exposed fourteen individual catsharks to field-relevant electromagnetic field levels and tracked their swimming behavior using advanced statistical modeling. The sharks showed no dramatic avoidance response, but they did spend significantly less time actively moving during direct current field exposure -- a subtle but meaningful shift that raises important questions about marine ecosystems and our expanding offshore energy infrastructure.
In This Episode
Why sharks are uniquely sensitive to electromagnetic fields -- and what that tells us about EMF biology more broadly
What the 2025 catshark study actually found, including the difference between AC and DC field effects on behavior
Why subtle behavioral changes in wildlife may matter more than dramatic ones -- and what that means for how we study EMF
Featured Study
Read the full study: From subsea power cable to small-spotted catshark Scyliorhinus canicula: Behavioural effects of electromagnetic fields in tank experiments
See all studies at shieldyourbody.com/research

A new study suggests that the way you deliver magnetic field stimulation to an Alzheimer's brain may matter just as much as the stimulation itself -- and the findings point toward a more personalized approach to treatment.
In this episode, R Blank breaks down a 2025 study by Geng, Liu, Yan, and Zheng published in Brain Research, which compared intermittent versus continuous extremely low frequency magnetic field exposure in Alzheimer's disease mice. The results revealed that the optimal stimulation pattern depends on the stage of disease progression -- a finding with real implications for how we think about magnetic field therapies. R Blank also connects this to the broader body of research on ELF-MF and neurodegeneration that he and his father Doctor Martin Blank explored in their book Overpowered.
In This Episode
What extremely low frequency magnetic fields are and how researchers are studying them as a potential Alzheimer's therapy
Why intermittent stimulation outperformed continuous stimulation in adult Alzheimer's mice -- and why the reverse was true in aged mice
What theta and gamma brain wave oscillations have to do with memory and cognition
Featured Study
Read the full study: Intermittent ELF-MF exposure effectively ameliorates pathologic features associated with adult AD mice
See all studies at shieldyourbody.com/research

A 2025 study found that exposure to theta burst electromagnetic fields completely blocked fear-based learning in planaria flatworms -- while unexposed worms learned normally. The field strength used was just one microtesla, raising important questions about how EMF interacts with the brain's memory systems.
In this episode, R Blank breaks down what this research reveals about electromagnetic fields and the biological processes behind memory formation. He explores why theta rhythms matter across species and what this finding adds to the broader conversation about EMF and neurological function. As always, the goal is to help you understand the science so you can make informed decisions.
In This Episode
What theta burst electromagnetic fields are and how researchers tested their effects
Why planaria flatworms are a legitimate model for studying learning and memory
How a field strength of one microtesla appeared to block fear-conditioned learning entirely
Featured Study
Read the full study: Can Theta Burst Electromagnetic Fields Disrupt Learning in Planaria? Evidence of Impaired Fear-Conditioned Responses
See all studies at shieldyourbody.com/research

A new study published in Nature found that loggerhead sea turtles use two completely separate biological systems to navigate -- and radiofrequency fields can disrupt one while leaving the other entirely intact.
In this episode, R Blank breaks down what this remarkable turtle research reveals about the sensitivity of biological electromagnetic systems. He explores what it means that RF fields -- the kind emitted by wireless devices -- can selectively interfere with one navigation mechanism but not another. And he connects this finding to a broader question worth asking about our own biology.
In This Episode
How loggerhead sea turtles build and use a magnetic map of the ocean
Why researchers found two distinct magnetoreception mechanisms in a single animal
How radiofrequency fields disrupted compass navigation but not magnetic map learning
Featured Study
Read the full study: Learned magnetic map cues and two mechanisms of magnetoreception in turtles
See all studies at shieldyourbody.com/research

Most EMF research focuses on potential harm -- but a new study found something unexpected: fifty hertz electromagnetic fields may actually improve learning and memory in epileptic brains while reducing oxidative stress.
In this episode, I walk through a peer-reviewed study published in Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine that exposed rats with induced epilepsy to power line frequency electromagnetic fields for seven days. The results challenged some of our most basic assumptions about how EMF interacts with the brain. I also explain what oxidative stress actually is, why this finding matters for how we think about EMF research, and what the honest takeaway looks like for everyday life.
In This Episode
What fifty hertz electromagnetic fields are and where you encounter them daily
How EMF exposure affected learning, short-term memory, and oxidative stress markers in epileptic rats
Why EMF effects are far more context-dependent than most people assume
Featured Study
Read the full study: Effect of ELF-EMF on cognitive functions, analgesia, and oxidative stress in rats with PTZ-induced epilepsy
See all studies at shieldyourbody.com/research

A new study found that small-spotted catsharks exposed to electromagnetic fields from subsea power cables showed a twenty-five percent reduction in transit time during direct current field exposure -- a subtle but measurable behavioral shift in animals that rely on electromagnetic sensing for survival.
In this episode, I break down what a two thousand twenty-five marine biology study tells us about how living organisms respond to artificial electromagnetic fields in their environment. We look at what the researchers found, why elasmobranchs make such a revealing test subject, and what this kind of science means for how we think about EMF and biology more broadly.
In This Episode
Why sharks are uniquely sensitive to electromagnetic fields -- and what that sensitivity reveals
What researchers found when catsharks were exposed to field-relevant EMF levels from subsea power cables
How Hidden Markov Models helped detect behavioral shifts that standard observation would miss
Featured Study
Read the full study: From subsea power cable to small-spotted catshark Scyliorhinus canicula: Behavioural effects of electromagnetic fields in tank experiments
See all studies at shieldyourbody.com/research

A new study published in the journal Artificial Organs shows that a magnetic field-driven nerve conduit achieved regeneration results comparable to surgical nerve transplants -- without the risks of conventional electrical stimulation.
In this episode, R Blank explores groundbreaking research from Hui and colleagues that uses rotating magnetic fields to generate healing electrical pulses inside damaged nerves. He connects this to decades of bioelectric research and explains what it reveals about the nuanced relationship between electromagnetic fields and human biology. The takeaway may surprise you.
In This Episode
How rotating magnetic fields generate electrical pulses inside a nerve conduit through electromagnetic induction
Why this magnetic field-driven approach avoids the infection and secondary damage risks of conventional electrical stimulation
What this research reveals about the difference between uncontrolled and intentionally applied electromagnetic fields
Featured Study
Read the full study: Magnetic Field-Driven Electrogenic Scaffold Enhances the Nerve Regeneration
See all studies at shieldyourbody.com/research

A 2025 study found that sixty hertz magnetic fields -- the same frequency as your home electrical grid -- can alter how receptor proteins function in living organisms, changing behavior in the process.
In this episode, R Blank breaks down new research by Kakikawa, Kenmochi, and Yamada published in Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine. The study exposed mutant roundworms to sixty hertz magnetic fields and found their feeding behavior shifted from social to solitary patterns. R Blank explains what this tells us about how power-line frequency fields may interact with the fundamental machinery of cellular communication -- and what you can do with that knowledge today.
In This Episode
How sixty hertz magnetic fields altered receptor protein function in living organisms
Why membrane proteins matter for cellular communication throughout your body
One practical, empowering step you can take to reduce your everyday exposure
Featured Study
Read the full study: Effect of 60 Hz magnetic fields on social feeding behavior of npr-1 receptor mutants in Caenorhabditis elegans
See all studies at shieldyourbody.com/research

A groundbreaking study reveals that magnetic field therapy could help combat Alzheimer's disease -- but the timing of exposure makes all the difference.
New research shows that intermittent extremely low frequency magnetic field exposure improved memory and brain function in Alzheimer's disease mice, while continuous exposure worked better in older subjects. This finding could reshape how we approach electromagnetic field therapy for neurodegenerative diseases.
In This Episode
How forty hertz magnetic fields affected Alzheimer's symptoms in mice
Why intermittent exposure outperformed continuous treatment in younger subjects
What this means for the future of electromagnetic field therapy
Featured Study
Read the full study: Intermittent ELF-MF exposure effectively ameliorates pathologic features associated with adult AD mice
See all studies at shieldyourbody.com/research

New research reveals that electromagnetic fields at just one microtesla -- thousands of times weaker than your smartphone -- completely eliminated the ability to learn in flatworms.
In this episode, I break down a fascinating study on theta burst electromagnetic fields and their impact on memory formation. The findings suggest EMF exposure disrupts fundamental biological processes that are shared across species, from simple worms to human brains.
In This Episode
How weak EMF fields blocked fear learning in planaria flatworms
Why theta rhythms matter for memory across all species
What this means for developing brains and daily device use
Featured Study
Read the full study: Can Theta Burst Electromagnetic Fields Disrupt Learning in Planaria? Evidence of Impaired Fear-Conditioned Responses
See all studies at shieldyourbody.com/research