Good morning and welcome to Thursday. If you need any more proof that we’re living in the future, here you go.

A startup named Inversion Space recently raised $10 million with the idea of transporting goods into Earth’s orbit, storing them there indefinitely in special capsules, and then sending them back to Earth at 25 times the speed of sound whenever they’re needed.

Wait – did we say “goods”? We meant “artificial human organs.”

That's right. Artificial human organs. Delivered from space.😳

What’s next? Monkeys playing Pong?

**faints**

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news takes 3.95 minutes to read.

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

–George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

🇺🇦 Day 14 of the conflict saw both sides report some progress in reaching a cease-fire in several cities, allowing some humanitarian corridors to be established. But by mid-afternoon, Russian cease-fire violations had halted those efforts.

• A Russian airstrike hit a maternity hospital in the southern city of Mariupol (pop. 400,000) yesterday, where local officials said more than 1,200 civilians have died thus far; Russian troops are reportedly preventing anyone from evacuating the city.
• Ukraine’s government warned yesterday that the Chernobyl power plant and other nuclear facilities under Russian control could see radioactive leakage after losing electricity. (Though the IAEA said it “sees no critical impact on safety” at the plant.)
• The Pentagon rejected a plan from the Polish government to transfer its entire fleet of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine by proxy using the US as a go-between; officials say the deal may be construed as NATO entering the conflict against Russia.

How the invasion is impacting…

📈📉 Markets: US stocks rose sharply, ending a four-session losing streak (Dow: +2.0%| S&P: +2.6%| Nasdaq: +3.6%); Russia’s central bank said the Moscow Stock Exchange would remain closed at least through today.

• The price of oil dropped over 12% yesterday, closing at $108.7 per barrel. 
• The national average for a gallon of gas rose eight cents to reach $4.252.
• Nickel – a key input in EV batteries – briefly soared past $100k per metric ton this week, more than double where it was a month ago.

🏛️ Capitol Hill: Congressional leaders reached a bipartisan deal to provide $14 billion in aid for Ukraine as part of a $1.5 trillion measure funding the government.

The HMS Endurance, captained by polar explorer Ernest Shackleton, was recently discovered off the coast of Antarctica more than a century after it was lost, bringing an end to “one of the greatest maritime mysteries of modern times” according to the WSJ.

🚢 🧊The story... Sir Ernest Shackleton set out on his journey in 1914 with the aim of becoming the first explorer to cross Antarctica on foot via the South Pole. But as he was traveling there, the Endurance became trapped in a pack of ice and was slowly crushed.

• The entire 28-person crew escaped on 20-foot lifeboats and crossed 830 miles of stormy ocean to safety; their tale quickly became an Antarctic exploration legend.
• This month, an international team of marine scientists and archaeologists located the wreck of the Endurance 10,000 feet under the Weddell Sea, roughly four miles from where it was thought to have sunk.
• "Without any exaggeration, this is the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen - by far," Mensun Bound, the mission's director of exploration, told the BBC.

👀 Looking ahead... Nat Geo will air a documentary about the search and discovery as part of its "Explorer" series this fall.

✍️ President Biden signed an executive order yesterday calling on the federal government to examine the risks and benefits of crypto, as well as the potential creation of a US digital dollar – and then report back their findings in two to four months.

• The order focuses on six key areas for crypto: consumer protection, financial stability, illicit activity, US competitiveness, financial inclusion and responsible innovation.
• The Treasury Department is already examining the pros and cons of a digital US dollar; Biden’s measure calls on the DOJ to investigate whether Congress would need to sign-off on its creation.
• The topic of stablecoins was notably absent from the order, though Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has made clear she wants to see Congress introduce regulation for the sector.
• The price of bitcoin rose 8% yesterday, though much of that gain came before the formal announcement (but after the Treasury Department accidentally published a statement reacting to the order).

🇺🇸 The big picture: Roughly 40 million Americans have invested in crypto, according to a White House fact sheet. But that's not without its risks – crypto scammers hauled in a record $14 billion last year, a 79% increase from 2020.

+Dig deeper: From the Left | From the Right

🧐 It’s said that without imagination there is no creativity. But what else goes into being creative?

While it looks different for everybody, the creative process usually involves five stages:

• Preparation: Research and brainstorming 🧠⚡
• Incubation: Stepping back from the work and allowing ideas to sink in
• Illumination: Connecting the dots and having “aha” moments 💡
• Evaluation: Reflecting and considering alternatives 🤔
• Verification: Finalizing ideas and sharing them with the world! 🌎

🔨 And of course, to be creative we need the right tools.

If your profession or passion project requires creativity, our pals at Baronfig have what you need for every step of the process, including:

• Planners, notebooks, and journals 📒
• Pens and writing sets 🖊
• Backpacks and carrying bags 💼
• Desk organizers and more!

🧠 Made by thinkers for thinkers… The Baronfig team consists of designers, mechanical engineers, and writers. They know what it means to be creative. As a result, they make higher quality products at a better price compared to competitors.

🌳 And for every single notebook purchased, Baronfig plants one tree! 👍

Get started today with the Idea Toolset. (You can also follow any of the links and get 20% off!)

🐷🫀 The 57-year-old man who received a genetically modified pig’s heart in a first-of-its-kind transplant died yesterday, two months after the groundbreaking surgery. It wasn’t immediately clear if his body rejected the organ.

• Dave Bennett, who was deemed ineligible for a regular human heart, instead received a heart from a one-year-old pig that was genetically modified so his body wouldn’t reject it.
• Pigs have long been used in human medicine, since their organs are anatomically similar to ours. They're also less likely to have unique diseases due to close contact with humans for generations.
• At the time of the operation, Bennett said, “It was either die or do this transplant. I want to live. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last choice.”

🇺🇸 Zoom out: Roughly 106,000 Americans are on the organ transplant list, and about 17 of them die each day.

+Another heart first: Duke University doctors recently performed a special infant heart transplant that involved implanting tissue that matched the donated organ. This procedure theoretically eliminates the need for immunosuppressant drugs, which are often toxic.

• ☝️ Cormac McCarthy has two new books coming this fall, his first fiction releases since the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Road in 2006.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 💼 There were 11.3 million job openings in January, per the Labor Department, down slightly from the previous month’s revised 11.4 million (a record high).
• 🚙 Volkswagen is reviving the microbus as an electric vehicle; it's set to debut in the US in 2024.
• 💰 Amazon approved a 20-for-1 stock split and $10 billion worth of share repurchases; separately, lawmakers asked the DOJ to investigate the company and some of its executives for potential criminal obstruction of Congress, per the WSJ; Amazon denies any wrongdoing.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏀 A college basketball conference championship game between Bryant and Wagner was delayed for 30 minutes after a massive fight broke out in stands.
• 🐧 HBO Max has greenlit The Penguin, a limited series set in the world of Matt Reeves’ The Batman and starring Colin Farrell.
• 📺 The first trailer for Disney’s new Obi-Wan Kenobi series with Ewan McGregor is now available.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🦈💤 A group of Australian scientists observed the first-ever physiological evidence of sleep in sharks.
• 🚘⚡ GM is partnering with utility giant PG&E to figure out how to use its EV fleet to power homes.
• 🐋 A hybrid baby "narluga" is possible in the coming years after a pod of beluga whales adopted a male narwhal, according to researchers.

BEST OF THE REST

• 🧑🧾🧑 Uber Eats now lets you split the bill.
• 🇰🇷 South Korea elected political newcomer Yoon Suk-yeol as president, ending a contentious election cycle.
• 🚫😷 Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) will lift America's last statewide mask mandate later this month. (From the Left | From the Right)

💬 Quoted… "The CDC has confirmed that regulations won’t be changing, so I won't be able to play in the US."

Novak Djokovic confirmed that he won’t be competing in the upcoming Indian Wells Open or Miami Open due to his vaccination status.

🔢 Stats of the Day… America was the world's most generous country this past decade, according to the Charities Aid Foundation's World Giving Index.

• Nearly 60% of Americans gave money last year, with an average donation of $574. We also grew more generous during the pandemic; both 2020 and 2021 topped 2019 in terms of donations.

🤯 Did You Know?... Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky’s stats are so insane that if you cut them entirely in half, he still ranks 17th all-time in total NHL points scored.

📖 Worth a Read… The problem with pursuing happiness → (Ozan Varol)

Dedicate as much funding and regulation as possible, ASAP - “We need to make changes to our economic and environmental policies now. Many studies have been already been published that detail the irreversible effects of climate change. If we don't take action now, we will face much worse problems in the future than a hampered economy.”

Dedicate funding and regulation, but prioritize the economy - “The US is on the precipice of moving beyond fossil fuels, but in order to reach that point we have to focus on sustaining and rebuilding the economy and let free market competition drive R&D in green energy.”

Dedicate no funding and regulation – “The free market has shown time and time again that it is more than capable of developing technologies and innovating new solutions to combat climate change efforts. The government needs to step aside and reduce climate regulations.”

Unsure/Other – “We have to figure out a way to get China on board. It won’t really matter in the long run what the US does if the rest of the world doesn’t change as well.”

+Note on sample size: We received 5,361 responses. 👏🥳 Some may have been lightly edited for grammar or clarity.

In the small village of Brielle, Holland, a group of farmers gets ready for the day ahead. 

• Splitting up the daily duties between the team, they all choose what job they like best. Whether it's feeding the chickens, painting the barn, or tending the garden, there's something for everyone. 

What makes this farm so unique? Almost all of the employees are living with dementia. 

🌳🌾🚜 Patient progress... Boerderij Op Aarde – aka “Farm On Earth" – is one of hundreds of care farms in the Netherlands leading the way towards the future of dementia care. 

• By providing its workers with specific tasks and responsibilities, the farm can give them a renewed sense of ownership of their life, which often takes the patients "out of their current disease process." 

💬 What they're saying: “We don’t focus on what’s missing, but what is still left,” said Arjan Monteny, the farm's cofounder.

🍿 It’s Movie Time… Below you’ll find different well-known quotes taken from movies. Your task? Match each quote with the famous movie it’s from (bonus points if you can name the person delivering the line).

1. “Aim for the bushes.”
2. “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't kill their husbands, they just don't.”
3. “You can be my wingman anytime.”
4. “I thought this was a high-end restaurant, why am I the only one wearing a tux?” (Hint: Keanu Reeves is in this scene)

🤔 Daily Trivia… What color are the sunsets on Mars?

keep scrolling for the answers

Check out our referral prizes you can get just for introducing people you know to this newsletter. 👇

Here’s your unique link to copy & send to anyone you think would like the DONUT:

Movie Time:

1. The Other Guys; delivered by the venerable Dwayne Johnson
2. Legally Blonde; Reese Witherspoon
3. Top Gun; Val Kilmer as “Iceman”
4. Always Be My Maybe; Randall Park

Trivia: Blue; the dust found in Mars’ atmosphere allows blue light to penetrate more efficiently than other colors due to its wavelength.