👋 Hello friends,

Thank you for joining this week's edition of The Saturday Morning Newsletter. I'm Drew Jackson, and today we're exploring 20 articles, essays, companies, ideas, podcasts, videos, or thoughts that caught my attention this week for their potential to significantly impact our future.

Before we begin: The Saturday Morning Newsletter by Brainwaves arrives in your inbox every Saturday, a concise and casual digest of current events, optimistic news stories, and other interesting tidbits about venture capital, economics, space, energy, intellectual property, philosophy, and beyond. I write as a curious explorer rather than an expert, and I value your insights and perspectives on each subject.

Time to Read: 8 minutes.

Let’s dive in!

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#1: Deep Fission

Description: Deep Fission is a developer of small underground modular reactors.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Deep Fission recently raised an undisclosed amount of venture capital funding. Surface-level nuclear power plants have faced unforeseen construction costs and delays. By deploying this technology below ground, PWR technology can benefit from the natural containment and safety features of a mile of rock. This may be the next generation of nuclear technology.

#2: Phoenix Tailings

Description: Phoenix Tailings is a developer of rare earth materials from mining waste.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Phoenix Tailings recently raised $44M in venture capital fundings. Traditional mining processes produce lots of harmful waste byproducts. Their process uses no harsh chemicals and produces zero waste, enabling a cleaner, sustainable supply chain.

#3: XOCEAN

Description: XOCEAN is an aggregator of ocean data.

Why Is This Company Interesting? XOCEAN recently raised $118M in venture capital funding. Using uncrewed surface vessels (they look like submarines mixed with sailboats), XOCEAN gathers and aggregates ocean data. This data can be used to create key insights for offshore energy operations like offshore wind and can provide other insights for sea-based ventures.

Canary Media: Nuclear Power Had a Strong Year in 2024, But Uncertainty Looms for 2025

2024 was one of the biggest years for the United States nuclear power sector in decades. There has been government, business, billionaire, and individual support for nuclear energy. Advanced reactor companies continue to raise millions from both private and public players. Congress managed to pass a bipartisan law to support domestic nuclear development.

However, this increase in US demand needs continued federal support from the incoming Trump administration. Most of the Biden-era policies in regard to nuclear power are at risk when Trump takes office, and people don’t know which way he will fall yet.

The Diary 24: First Ever Dark Solar Panel Unveiled

In 2022, researchers theorized a solar panel capable of operating at night. The concept of this new technology draws on heat that’s radiated as infrared light after the sun has gone down. Now, this technology is being built to be deployed in space. Currently, the International Space Station experiences a day that lasts 90 minutes of half daylight and half darkness. It currently uses solar cells during the day but batteries at night. This new technology will allow it to generate electricity at any point.

Alternate Energy Magazine: Solar Energy Trends in 2025

This article posits that the 3 biggest solar energy trends coming in 2025 will be the following: a large influx of cheap Chinese solar panels flooding the world, an increasing demand for rooftop solar panels, and an large increase in demand for small, medium, and large-scale battery storage. These seem similar to previous years, however they are expected to have a deeper impact this year in comparison to other years.

Maritime Executive: Cost Remained Offshore Wind's Key Challenge in 2024

Offshore wind costs were the biggest barrier to growth in 2024. Costs of competitive technologies (e.g. solar) during this period have continued to decline significantly, however wind costs continue to remain steady or even increase slightly. Some argue these costs are because offshore wind regulations are larger than other types of energy, causing these projects to have to jump through more hoops to be viable.

Department of Energy: 11 Big Wins for Nuclear Energy in 2024

There have been many big wins for nuclear power in 2024, with the restart of old reactors, the development of new reactor designs, laws passed, hitting deployment targets, and more. The future potential for nuclear energy is large, but there are still many milestones that need to be hit before nuclear returns to being a mainstream energy source.

The New York Times: California Wildfires Threaten Insurers Already Teetering From Climate Shocks

Massive wildfires have plagued California this week. Prior to this, and even during, insurance companies have begun to leave California due to rising losses from wildfires. If these insurers continue to leave California, it would drive up existing insurance rates and make coverage harder to find.

The solution? Unclear at this point. Solving the underlying issue (climate change) is critical. Addressing the symptom, leaving insurance, may mean establishing state-sponsored insurance programs for residents.

The Wall Street Journal: There’s a Traffic Jam Forming at U.S. Rocket Launchpads

Only 3 sites across the United States handle most of the rocket launches in the United States. Those locations are expected to become increasingly congested as companies and regulators schedule more missions. Significant weather or other events could put one of these major sites out of commission for months, critically impacting our space industry.

The solution? Diversification. Build more. Use more of the existing sites.

Space: Space Debris Crashes into Kenya Village

A large metallic ring crashed into a small Kenya village in December. Many investigators think the object is actually a piece of space debris, specifically rocket leftovers. This is not the first case of space debris crashing down from our atmosphere, and it will probably not be our last. It’s difficult to catch and prevent all debris, but it does pose the question of whether further regulations should be in place to prevent a large portion of space debris.

Pitchbook: AI Startups Received a Third of Global VC Dollars in 2024

The AI hype bubble is going strong, capturing a large majority of VC dollars in 2024. In the United States, AI captured closer to 50% of the VC dollars in 2024. Some investors are pessimistic about these trends, “It’s not a question of too much capital, but rather the inefficient allocation of that capital,” said Samir Kumar, co-founder and general partner at Touring Capital. Kumar said that investors have piled into the vertical and gotten caught up in the hype, leading some to overpay. He anticipates that to change in 2025. “We should expect this to start correcting in a major way.”

TechCrunch: Silicon Valley Dominates Global VC Funding

Startups located in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area received around $90B of VC investments in 2024. Of the $178B total, this was around 50% of the total funding received by all companies. Even though every year you hear rumors and discussions that Silicon Valley wasn’t what it once was, in the venture world, it’s still an incredibly powerful area.

IP Watchdog: The IP Community’s Wildest Dreams for 2025

It’s intriguing to see what people hope will happen in 2025 in regard to intellectual property. For instance, some hope that trademark laws will continue to progress while others hope IP regulations will hit a wave of new growth and development. Overall, sentiment and hopes were high, but there was much uncertainty regarding the transition of power and what effects that would have on the future of IP legislation.

PsyPost: Scientists Discover a Fascinating Fact About the Brains of Meditators

New research using new brain-mapping techniques has found that long-term meditation practice leads to enduring changes in neurological processes. The benefits from meditation were found to be a higher attention and working memory (enhanced focus and information processing). Generally, meditators experienced better, more powerful brain capacities over time.

Nature: A Comparison of Chinese and Western Philosophical Practices

A new study found that Western philosophical practice, rooted in ancient Greek philosophy, existentialism and analytics philosophy, emphasizes individual autonomy, critical thinking, and personal growth. Chinese philosophical practice draws from Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, focusing on harmony between the individual and society, moral cultivation, and social cohesion. Both traditions share the goals of enhancing self-awareness, addressing ethical dilemmas and improving mental health.

American Society for Microbiology: AI Generated Influenza Vaccine That Protects Over Lifetime - No More Yearly Shots

The development of a new COBRA antigen technology using AI indicates a strong likelihood that these antigens will provide robust protection against future influenza strains, a significant advancement in the fight against influenza. This innovation could revolutionize how we think about flu vaccines in the future.

PBS: U.S. Sees Sharp Decline in Murders and Other Crimes in 2024

Data collected from hundreds of law enforcement agencies show that the murder rate dropped 16% from 2023 to 2024. That’s a huge decrease. After an increase during the pandemic, this decrease puts us back to pre-pandemic levels, back to the trend of rapidly decreasing crime in the United States.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: CFPB Finalizes Rule to Remove Medical Bills from Credit Reports

The article explains it better than I could:

Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) finalized a rule that will remove an estimated $49 billion in medical bills from the credit reports of about 15 million Americans. The CFPB’s action will ban the inclusion of medical bills on credit reports used by lenders and prohibit lenders from using medical information in their lending decisions. The rule will increase privacy protections and prevent debt collectors from using the credit reporting system to coerce people to pay bills they don’t owe. The CFPB has found that medical debts provide little predictive value to lenders about borrowers’ ability to repay other debts, and consumers frequently report receiving inaccurate bills or being asked to pay bills that should have been covered by insurance or financial assistance programs.

Reddit: Getting Rid of “Brainrot”

Here’s one person’s guide to getting rid of brainrot and focusing more on yourself and the world around you.

“Hardcore Mode”:

• Cold showers in the morning (30 seconds - 2 minutes)
• Deleting all bookmarks/saved posts/saved things
• Switching from coffee to green tea - cleaner energy
• Dopamine detox days where you simply sit with boredom

Weird, But Effective Things:

• Breathing exercises (recommending “box breathing”)
• Light therapy lamps
• Writing things down by hand
• Time locking container for your phone

A Realistic Social Media Detox:

• Making your phone grayscale - everything becomes boring
• Unfollow everyone except actual friends and helpful/learning accounts
• Block social media during work hours
• Turn off all notifications except calls/texts from actual humans

Other Hacks:

• Fixing breathing at night - nose breathing instead of mouth breathing
• Lion's mane supplements
• “Ultradian Rhythm” - working in 90 minute blocks then taking actual breaks
• Mind dumps before bed - writing everything down in your brain so you stop going at 100 mph

Underrated Tips:

• Fix your posture
• Get your eyes checked
• “Binaural beats” to focus

See you Wednesday for Brainwaves,

Drew Jackson

Twitter: @brainwavesdotme

Email: brainwaves.me@gmail.com

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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this content are my own and do not represent the views of any of the companies I currently work for or have previously worked for. This content does not contain financial advice - it is for informational and educational purposes only. Investing contains risks and readers should conduct their own due diligence and/or consult a financial advisor before making any investment decisions. Any sponsorship or endorsements are noted and do not affect any editorial content produced.