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Happy Sunday morning and welcome back to our 113th edition of The Sunday Morning Newsletter!
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Let’s dive in.
#1: Scientists Turn Eggshells into Defense Against Space Debris
Eric Ralls - Earth
Over the last few decades, the methodology to prevent impacts from space debris has been to have a thin sheet of aluminum at the front of the spacecraft, with a gap behind it.
This worked for most space debris for a time, but as the amount of space debris has exponentially increased, these methods are due for a change. Larger fragments pose a much greater challenge.
Tens of thousands, if not hundreds or millions, of debris pieces orbit in space. This is an incredibly difficult problem, and no one has a concrete solution yet.
A recent innovation proposes using aluminum eggshell concepts to prevent this debris. Testing revealed the narrow end of the egg design has the best prevention capabilities.
Early signs show strong traction; however, the new design panels have not undergone extensive impact testing.
If proven, these could provide a new layer of defense against oncoming space objects, ensuring additional space viability and signaling potential future improvements are still to come.
#2: Recognizing the Transformative Impact of Intellectual Property
David Korn - Phrma
In the biopharmaceutical industry, intellectual property is a key driver of research and development for the next generation of treatments and cures.
The scale of this impact is significant:
Biopharmaceutical companies directly support 350k+ manufacturing jobs
1.5k+ domestic manufacturing facilities in the U.S. are producing the medicines patients rely on
$500B+ in new investments are committed to fund future U.S. biopharmaceutical manufacturing and infrastructure
According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, IP-intensive industries accounted for $11.4T in GDP in 2024. They supported nearly 66M American jobs, showcasing the extent to which intellectual property supports and underpins the economy.
As such, Congress should continue protecting intellectual property and prioritize future medical innovation and U.S. manufacturing investment.
#3: Everything Feels So Expensive
Natasha Sarin - The New York Times
The evidence of an affordability crisis surrounds us in every facet of life. Gas is more expensive, food costs are rising, travel is incredibly prohibitive, education bills are at all-time highs, and more.
Affordability was a key issue in the 2024 election and it is likely to be a key issue during the 2026 midterms as well.
Interestingly, some economists argue otherwise. The key argument is that yes, prices have risen over the last few years, but wages have generally increased faster. According to these definitions, America has been more affordable than at any time in its history.
This author argues that both parties and viewpoints aren’t exactly accurate. “The question is not whether our wages are outpacing inflation, but whether we have enough confidence in our economic futures to trust that we can afford the lives we expect for ourselves and our families — and that we can survive whatever comes. Americans are facing a financial crisis all right, but it’s not just affordability. We’re facing a crisis of economic security, and it’s getting worse.”
Okay, but how does something like this get solved?
Fortunately or unfortunately, the answer lies in the politicians. Each politician has a large incentive to do something, to lower prices, to freeze rent, to cap credit card interest rates, or to ban the institutional ownership of homes.
We, as citizens, must push our elected officials to do better each day and represent our positions as accurately as possible.
#4: IP Work That Should Happen At Every Startup
Matthew L. Cutler - Mondaq
During a fundraise and immediately after, companies plan for all manner of strategic decisions. Some of which include building out sales, product, marketing, finance, and other departments.
Occasionally on that list, but an item that is incredibly important and often overlooked, is the concept of intellectual property protections.
A fundraise requires three key intellectual property actions:
Confirm the company owns the intellectual property it just sold to investors
Protect the product and brand the new money is about to put into the market
Install a system so IP protection becomes automated and ingrained
As the company raises funds, its profile increases. It continues to gain customers, push products, and spend marketing dollars to increase awareness.
During these phases, it is critical that intellectual property not be the reason why the company fails and struggles to grow.
#5: MIT Study Pushes Back on One of the Biggest Solar Energy Myths
Mark Cowley
Solar energy only makes up around 11% of the total U.S. electricity supply in 2023.
One longstanding argument against solar, specifically regarding utility-scale solar farms, is that they will result in higher bills for customers.
A recent MIT study proved that this argument wasn’t supported by data. The study evaluated how much energy bills increased for consumers after various forms of renewable energy were connected.
The study found that large-scale solar farms did not increase bills, and in fact, decreased them slightly on average. Why? It’s quite unknown, but researchers suggested that this decrease in costs could be due to lack of needing to pump or transport raw fuel, which helps reduce total operational and maintenance costs.
In this way, and in many others, solar continues to shine as one of the standout energy sources in the 21st century as individuals, businesses, and countries push to upgrade existing energy infrastructure.
That’s a wrap on this week’s roundup.
Drew Jackson
Founder & Writer
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