Aeon in Motion
- Quarterly Onsite a Success: Members of the Aeon team who were able to attend gathered in Philadelphia last week. In addition to spending some quality time together, we set new strategic priorities for the next 90 days. These include: Structure the Legal Entity, Continue Building the Community of Practice, Finalize Sourcing Program Guidance, Admin Setup, and Begin Fundraising.
- Admin Formalization: While not the most captivating topic, it's important nonetheless. We've purchased the domain ProjectAeon.org, established corresponding emails, and created a Slack community open to all (free!) to discuss Project Aeon and the advancement of paradigm-shifting science. You can sign up for the community chat here. Further, you'll notice this newsletter is now on a proper newsletter platform.
- Implementation of Unique Abilities: As you might already know, we are very serious about helping contributors to Project Aeon find their 'Ikigai'—the point where their passion, skills, and interest in our mission overlap. During the onsite, we began implementation of a way to bring this even further into focus.
From the Roundtable
This week's Roundtable discussion consisted of a read out of the onsite to the rest of the Aeon contributor community, and primarily focused on aligning to the strategic priorities. Some key takeaways included:
- Enhanced Outreach for the Community of Practice: Like other important movements (for example, the 1980s anti-whaling movement one of us just read a book about), the work we are doing to advance paradigm-shifting, impactful science isn't about us. It's about the mission, and it requires gathering a coalition of passionate people—famous and private, young and old, etc.—behind this work. If you know someone who is passionate about the cause, please let us know! And feel free to forward them the link to this newsletter.
- Need for More Evaluation and Selection ("E&S") Concreteness: As the 'Sourcing' program begins to take shape, our attention must turn to the E&S program. Once an investable pool of scientists is identified, we need a system to decide who will receive support in that cycle and who will not. We're actively speaking to other organizations who have best practices to share regarding non-traditional E&S programs like the one we're seeking to build. Thank you to those who have already spoken with us—it has been immensely helpful!
- Creation of a 'Need Now' Support List: Many have asked us how they can help. To date, we've not provided enough definition to these asks. No longer! Here is a link to a page with a continually updated list of support items we need from the community. Thanks in advance for taking a look, and pitching in where you can.
The Idea Garden
Scientific Publishing: Enough is Enough - by Seemay Chou
Sometimes, a protocol is established that is built optimally for scale, even from the start. Other times, what worked at a small scale fails at a large scale. Seemay Chou, a leader in the innovative-funding-for-science space, argues here that science publishing is just that: a system that once worked but now causes much more harm than good—in some ways obvious (like the many hours it sucks up that could otherwise go to research), and in others, less so (such as the type of questions researchers attempt to answer).
The Rise of American Ingenuity: Innovation and Inventors of the Golden Age | NBER
While it is easy to say—and we do so often—that we want to back the next generation of paradigm-shifting scientists... how do you actually do that in practice? It isn't easy, but that doesn't mean it is impossible. Papers like this one—which discusses a long-run, historical view of what (and where) makes a great inventor—helps to bring the task into sharper focus.
Our Helpline for American Scientists
Lux Capital—a frequent mention in this newsletter, for obvious reasons—invests earlier than most other venture capitalists, in what we would call "pre-venture, post-research" technologies. Their latest offering is a breath of fresh air in the current environment, and promises scientist entrepreneurs that, despite government funding cuts, there is at least one place to turn to for funding to commercialize technologies that are ready (or near-ready) to go to market. Kudos to them!
Reflecting on — and for — our Future - by Ramya Mahalingam
Project Aeon and the Astera Institute share some fundamental DNA—primarily, the belief that the biggest, most important problems facing the world today require a calculated mix of ambition, creativity, funding, trust and... science (of course). This piece, covering the work of one of Astera's Residents, Ramya Mahalingam, hints at what openness and transparency might do for applied science in the realm of climate change.
Thanks for reading.
For all people, all species, and our planet,
Project Aeon
PS: What is Project Aeon? Project Aeon advances critical scientific missions by funding paradigm-shifting research overlooked by today’s short-term, risk-averse system. We exist to restore the freedom and patience that once fueled discoveries by Darwin, Curie, and Planck. Instead of rewarding only what's fast and familiar, we back bold, long-horizon inquiry with deep belief. We marry capital stewardship, equitable talent discovery, and community-building to unlock breakthroughs that benefit all people, all species, and the planet.