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Thank you we love you THE NEWS.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news takes 3.94 minutes to read.

“Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear but forgetting where you heard it.”

–Laurence J. Peter (1919-1990)

More than 100,000 people converged on Park City, Utah, last week for the annual Sundance Film Festival. And while the temps may not reach above 32°F, the dealmaking at the ten-day-long event is heating up like a player in the classic video game NBA Jam.

⛰🎥 Why it matters: What happens at today’s Sundance has a way of becoming tomorrow’s mainstream – kind of like a crystal ball that provides glimpses of the people and movies that will shape Hollywood over the next few years. Filmmakers get a chance to showcase their work, and studios come with blank checks aplenty.

Case in point: last year’s Oscar winner for Best Picture, CODA, premiered at 2021’s Sundance and was bought during the festival by Apple for $25 million. And that’s just one example in a looooong line.

⬅️📼 Sundance, a history… The festival, which was founded by actor and filmmaker Robert Redford, debuted in 1985. And four years later, it launched the modern independent film movement as we know it – all thanks to an unknown filmmaker named Steven Soderbergh.

At 1989’s festival, Soderbergh – who later helmed the Ocean's Eleven and Magic Mike franchises – unveiled his first feature film, sex, lies, and videotape. It would go on to become one of the most successful indie films released to that point, putting Sundance on the map as a hotbed of talent waiting to become household names.

We’re talking:

• Quentin Tarantino (all the movies)
• Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Boyhood)
• The Coen brothers (also all the movies)
• Rian Johnson (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Knives Out)
• Ava DuVernay (Selma)
• Damien Chazelle (Whiplash*, La La Land),
• Kevin Smith (Clerks*, Jay & Silent Bob),
• Wes Anderson (another one who made all the movies)
• Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia)

And the festival isn’t just a launching pad for filmmakers. Some of the most iconic films of the past few decades have debuted at Sundance, including Napoleon Dynamite, Little Miss Sunshine, Get Out, and The Blair Witch Project (which made $250+ million on a $60,000 production budget, and launched with a rather ingenious marketing campaign).

💰Zoom in: The two biggest deals announced at Sundance so far this year involve Netflix and Apple, who each paid $20 million to buy Fair Play and Flora and Son, respectively. And arthouse distributor A24 is reportedly close to finalizing a deal in the high seven-figures for horror film Talk to Me.

🇺🇦 It’s official: Germany and the US are both sending domestic-made tanks to Ukraine. President Biden said the US will supply Ukraine with 31 M1 Abrams tanks, which are widely considered to be one of the most modern battle tanks in the world, per the BBC. Each ~$9 million tank features a 1,500-horsepower engine, plus a state-of-the-art fire control system, and requires months of extensive training to operate. Meanwhile, Germany agreed to send 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, and will start allowing other countries to send German-made tanks to Ukraine as well (which officials had previously blocked). Ukrainian leaders have said Western tanks will be crucial to repelling a possible Russian offensive this spring, and Russia has said that sending tanks will make the possibility of peace talks less likely.

🇪🇺 The EU approved two more insect species for human consumption. On Tuesday, house crickets and lesser mealworm larvae became the third and fourth insects eligible to be sold as a food product – in powder, frozen, paste, and dried forms – across the entire 27-nation bloc. Insects typically contain more protein per weight than eggs or meat, have a smaller environmental impact than livestock, and are better at turning calories in their feed into calories on their body. Edible insects are found in a handful of local diets around the world, including some areas of Mexico and Thailand.

🇲🇽🚭 One of the world’s strictest anti-tobacco laws recently took effect in Mexico. Under the new measure, residents and tourists alike are prohibited from consuming any form of tobacco in public areas (even outdoors), with a fine of up to $550 for the first offense. Companies are also banned from promoting, advertising, or sponsoring tobacco products, which are used by more than 16% of all Mexican adults.

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On Tuesday, NASA announced a new long-term joint project with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop the world’s first nuclear thermal rocket engine, with a goal of reducing how long it takes to travel vast distances in space. Somebody better give the Na’vi a heads-up; Pandora, here we come.

The main component of a nuclear thermal engine is an onboard nuclear reactor, which uses a process called fission to provide the thrust needed to move the rocket through space.

NASA initially began researching the tech in 1959, and later sought to demonstrate it in space. But the project was abandoned in 1972 before carrying out any test flights.

🤔 So why is NASA revisiting this now?... Because nuclear thermal engines are at least three times more efficient than the chemical propulsion systems currently in use, translating to greatly-reduced transit times in space.

And with NASA committed to sending humans to Mars by the middle of next decade, the agency is searching for ways to get there as quickly as possible, since longer trips require a higher amount of supplies and more robust systems. Plus, leaving Earth’s atmosphere exposes astronauts to dangerously high levels of cancer-causing cosmic radiation.

• NASA and DARPA haven’t said exactly how fast their new nuclear engine will be able to travel, but it’s expected to be significantly quicker than conventional spacecraft. And those typically reach speeds of 16,000+ MPH.

👀 Looking ahead… NASA said it expects to demonstrate a working nuclear thermal rocket engine in space as early as 2027.

💬 Quoted…​​ “Living the life of Riley.”

What an American living in the 1910s would use to describe a person leading an untroubled, happy life, per a recently-published list of old slang terms from Mental Floss. Other notable examples include:

• An ‘againster’ = hater or contrarian
• A ‘conchie’ = derisive term for conscientious objector to WWI
• ‘Up to putty’ = worthless or futile
• A case of the ‘woofits’ = depression or malaise
• A ‘beezer’ = either an intelligent person, or a nose

⏰ Stat of the Day: US employees working remotely in 2021 and 2022 saved an average of 55 minutes of commute time each workday, according to a paper published Monday by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

🤯 Did You Know?... Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the duo who directed the Oscar nomination-leading Everything Everywhere All at Once, also directed DJ Snake and Lil Jon's “Turn Down For What” music video. (Another fun fact: The Daniels’ first feature film, Swiss Army Man, premiered at Sundance.)

📖 Worth a Read: I outsourced my memory to AI for 3 weeks → (Business Insider)

Perspective is a big reason why people find mainstream news exhausting… we can all agree negativity is draining. Tired of the doom and gloom? (We suspect as much – you are reading this newsletter 😉)...

👍🗞️ The Progress Network offers a positive and constructive outlook on a complicated world. By shining spotlight on the progress of society’s most pressing issues, they encourage people to create a future of their dreams, not fears. And it’s FREE! 🥳

• Backed by a 100-plus member team of scholars, founders, writers, and innovators, The Progress Network provides thousands of readers with an intelligent and uplifting dose of optimism every Thursday.

So if you’re ready to catch up on the remarkable progress humanity has made in the last few decades and get a break from the negativity, give The Progress Network a try.

Sign-up free for the new bright spot of your Thursday – The “What Could Go Right?” newsletter.

• ☝️ A 600-square-mile iceberg broke off the Brunt Ice Shelf in western Antarctica on Sunday, after a 10-year separation process; scientists said the break, which created an iceberg roughly half the size of Rhode Island, isn’t related to climate change.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🚗🛢️ Tesla posted a record quarterly profit in Q4, netting $3.7 billion on revenue of $24.3 billion. | Chevron announced a new $75 billion stock buyback program.
• 🍼 The FDA announced new guidelines aimed at limiting lead by as much as 24-27% in baby food.
• 💨 Juul is reportedly discussing a potential sale or partnership with three tobacco companies – Philip Morris, Japan Tobacco, and Altria.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🎵💰 Justin Bieber sold his music back catalog to Hipgnosis Songs Capital for a reported $200 million.
• 🦑📺 The Squid Game reality show on Netflix reported three injuries yesterday; the game show is not life-or-death, and carries a grand prize of $4.56 million.
• 🏈🏆 The NFL announced the finalists for MVP, Coach of the Year, and six other awards yesterday.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🤖 Shutterstock is now offering customers the option to generate their own images using licensed OpenAI technology.
• 🧬 An anti-aging gene recently discovered by researchers studying centenarians – aka ppl over 100 yrs old – was found to rewind the biological clock of mice hearts by the human equivalent of 10+ yrs, per a new peer-reviewed study; the anti-aging gene was found in centenarians living within Earth’s “blue zones.”
• 🐒 Humans and wild apes share elements of a common language, with people able to understand many gestures wild chimps and bonobos use to communicate, a new peer-reviewed study published in PLOS Biology suggests.

EVERYTHING ELSE

• ✍️ California's Secretary of State said enough signatures have been collected to trigger a statewide referendum on whether to recall a recently-passed bill that would set fast-food minimum wages as high as $22/hour, among other things. (Background)
• 🌐 Former President Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts will be reinstated “in the coming weeks,” Meta announced yesterday; Trump’s accounts were suspended indefinitely after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol. (The announcement | From the Left | From the Center | From the Right)

CLICKBAIT

• 💪💼 The ‘most underrated’ skill all successful people have, ‘especially introverts,’ per Harvard neuroscientist.

Yesterday we covered the DOJ’s new federal antitrust lawsuit against Google seeking to break up its core advertising business, a move that could significantly impact the tech giant and cause ripple effects across the entire advertising industry.

❓ Our question to you: In your opinion, should Google be forced to sell some or all of its ad business?

• 👍 ​​Yes: 34%
• 👎 ​​No: 39%
• 🤷 Unsure/other: 27%

Click here to read some of the best responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 7,533 votes, and 571 longform responses.

We bring you the most unusual, off-the-wall and occasionally laugh-out-loud headlines from this week.

• Pet fish commits credit card fraud on owner using a Nintendo Switch → (TechSpot)
• Colorado wildlife camera captures 400 'bear selfies' in one night → (UPI)
• US Marines Defeat DARPA Robot by Hiding Under a Cardboard Box → (ExtremeTech)
• Waiheke Island resident fed up with being tormented by mysterious sausages put in his mailbox → (Newshub NZ)
• School hopes lights can finally shut off after costly glitch → (APNews)

CROWDSOURCED

Have you ever encountered a glitch in the matrix, quirky animal behavior, or even just a hilarious first grader? Tell us about it here for a chance to be featured in next Thursday’s newsletter.

👩‍🏫 Who: Larissa L. from Curitiba, Brazil

💬 The experience: "Some years ago, when I was a 1st grade teacher, I had this weird pupil who was absolutely obsessed with bare feet. Every time I went to school wearing sandals, he would touch my forefoot all day long. Actually, he would do it to every teacher that would have their feet visible. Even though it was weird, the kid was very cute and I really had a laugh with odd this situation."

P.S. Don’t forget to share your odd or hilarious experience with us here.

🛶 Row, row, row, your boat... Brothers Jack, Hamish, Euan, and Arthur Friend had only rowed a handful of times before setting off on a 3,000-mile journey across the Atlantic. 

• The two sets of twins spent just over a month at sea, rotating rowing duties and surviving on dehydrated food as part of the Talisker Atlantic Challenge. 

🌊 An all-time Friendship... Despite their lack of experience, the Friend brothers came in third place out of 43 competitors, raising £100,000 for UK charities in the process. 

• 'It's just been incredible," said Hamish of the journey. "And you just sort of think of the finish line so much in a challenge like this, so when you actually cross it – it's just such a weird experience.'"

Which country/continent, pictured above, is wider in diameter than the Moon?

(keep scrolling for the answer)

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