The Saturday Morning Newsletter #22

👋 Hello friends,

Thank you for joining this week's edition of The Saturday Morning Newsletter. I'm Drew Jackson, and today we're exploring 12 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: 6 minutes.

Let’s dive in!

#1: Bedrock Energy

Description: Bedrock Energy is a geothermal heating and cooling company.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Bedrock Energy recently raised $12M in venture capital funding. Geothermal energy has long been the most energy-efficient, environmentally friendly way to electrify a building. Bedrock’s geo-loop technology leverages powerful data algorithms to ensure long-lasting performance - enhancing geothermal energy even further.

#2: Project Eaden

Description: Project Eaden is an alternative plant-based meat producer.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Project Eaden recently raised $15M in venture capital funding. Livestock farming alone accounts for ~12% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Their technology uses proprietary fiber spinning to create ultra-realistic plant-based meats with the look, taste, and chew of animal meat.

#3: Metafuels

Description: Metafuels is a developer of green methanol-based aviation fuel.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Metafuels recently raised $9M in venture capital funding. Their “aerobrew” is a proprietary way to convert green methanol into sustainable aviation fuel. This market is expected to grow from $70M to over $6B from 2020 to 2030, a huge opportunity. The aerobrew fuel is capable of reducing an airline’s carbon footprint significantly which is why many airlines are switching to this new innovation.

#4: Cyclic Materials

Description: Cyclic Materials is a rare earth element and critical material recycling company.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Cyclic Materials recently raised $2M in venture capital funding. Their process has 36% reduced CO2 emissions, has less mining, and increases the formation of a local supply chain. Demand for rare earth elements is only going to continue to increase over time, so having the ability to recycle some previously used materials will help augment the supply chains.

Charming Science: China’s Tokamak Sets Nuclear Fusion Record

China’s EAST Tokamak reactor sustained a high-confinement plasma operation for 1,066 seconds, shattering the previous record of 403 seconds set in 2023. Sustaining plasma for such an extended duration is essential for demonstrating the feasibility of fusion reactors and reactor designs. At this rate, fusion may become the major solution before fission.

International Energy Agency: The Path to a New Era for Nuclear Energy

Electricity demand is projected to increase exponentially in the coming years. This has led to a rising interest in nuclear energy as a potential solution. A new IEA report explains that with continued innovation, sufficient government support, and new business models, small modular reactor designs can play a key role in the future of nuclear and the future of energy.

Harvard Gazette: Nuclear Has Changed. Will the US Change With It?

What’s different with nuclear this time? Firstly, the new generation of advanced reactors, many of which are smaller than ever. Large reactors became bespoke projects and killed budgets, however, these new smaller reactors provide a factory-built, standardized solution to this issue. Generally, there’s more bipartisan support than there has been in the past—whether or not that continues with the new administration is unclear yet.

The New York Times: Trump Wants to Unleash Energy, as Long as It’s Not Wind or Solar

During his first day as President, Trump signed many executive orders to restructure the US’s energy mix, blocking the transition away from fossil fuels and stopping clean energy projects. He stated that the United States is in an “energy emergency”, yet wants to block huge wind and solar projects that could power homes and businesses. The dichotomy is intriguing, leading people to question the rationale and legality of his arguments.

The New York Times: Trump’s Retreat From Clean Energy Puts the U.S. Out of Step With the World

“Most major economies are investing in ever-cheaper solar and wind power. The United States risks further ceding a global market to China.” While coal, oil, and gas still greatly power the global economy, the global movement is away from these products, instead toward renewables. By choosing the opposite, President Trump is moving against the global trends, in a generally agreed negative direction.

The New York Times: What Trump’s Pledge to Plant the U.S. Flag on Mars Really Means

President Trump has talked multiple times about getting to Mars. Recently, during his inaugural address, he again emphasized the promise to launch astronauts to Mars. Elon Musk, now closely linked to Trump, has estimated that SpaceX will launch ~5 Starships to Mars in 2026 to test the atmosphere of Mars with entry and reentry.

The New York Times: Tariffs

This is arguably the best article I’ve ever read on tariffs. If you’re at all interested in tariffs and what’s going on with them, how they work, what impact they’ll have on America, etc. I recommend a read.

Big Think: Philosophy Has Lost Its Transformative Power

Philosopher Shai Tubali argues that modern philosophy has lost most, if not all, of its transformative power. Modern philosophy rarely offers actionable wisdom on the question “How should we live?” Ancient philosophical texts and teachings were designed to answer this question, forming the soul. Philosophy shouldn’t only be in the mind, it should be lived through action.

Collective action (or inaction) is very powerful.

Herd mindsets still exist—and may be more prevalent than ever.

Consider an example from this week of a large majority of Reddit’s subreddits collectively banning links from X.com after Elon’s salute during the presidential inauguration. No matter where you stand on that issue, once 1 subreddit outwardly discussed banning the links, many others followed suit.

In my college classes, I’ve seen this dynamic play out in funny and awkward ways. For instance, in many of my discussion classes, the professor will ask a question and the class will sit silently, daring the first person to speak. But once someone has gone, that breaks the barrier for many others, leading to a trend of collective action.

Moral of the story: in order to spur collective action, someone needs to be the driver of the trend, the guinea pig.

Maybe you are that person, or maybe you’re simply part of the collective action.

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.