Hey folks!

It seems humans are done littering the Earth because now we’re busy littering space! Yup, the Earth’s orbit is turning into a cosmic junkyard.

It all started in 1957 when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first-ever satellite. Since then, we’ve sent thousands of rockets and satellites into orbit.

But here’s the thing. Many of these missions leave behind debris. Failed launches, fragments from collisions and even intentionally destroyed satellites all add to the clutter. For instance, in 2022, India tested an anti-satellite missile (Mission Shakti) in low Earth orbit, creating more debris. This sure made us the fourth country capable of destroying enemy satellites, after the US, Russia and China. But at what cost?

These fragments can be a huge problem as debris can collide and generate even more debris, creating a domino effect. And it’s not just big chunks of metal; even tiny flecks of paint shed by rockets contribute to the mess. While some debris in lower orbits eventually burns up in the atmosphere, others can orbit Earth for years together, multiplying the clutter. And with nearly 10,000 satellites in space, including 3,000 dead ones, and predictions of 20,000 by the end of the decade, the risks are skyrocketing.

And it’s not just a safety issue, it’s an economic one too. Space’s orbit is vital for communication, navigation and scientific discovery. If it becomes unusable, collisions could result in financial damages of over $550 million over the next five years.

Companies like SpaceX’s Starlink are already feeling the heat. Starlink performed nearly 50,000 collision-avoidance maneuvers in just the first half of 2024, a record high.

That’s exactly why the UN wants governments, space agencies and private companies to co-operate with each other and transparently share orbital data such as satellite locations, to avoid disasters. But ironically, concerns over national security and commercial secrecy are keeping everyone tight-lipped.

So yeah, it looks like we’re great at littering space, but not so great at cleaning up. And if this trend continues, future innovations might just hit a wall of junk. Literally.

Here's a soundtrack to put you in the mood 🎵

Bending Blinders by Fat Yellow Moon (Abhishek Chandran)

Ready to roll?

What caught our eye this week 👀

Will you cure your cavities with bacteria?

How awesome would it be if you could shoo your cavities with a simple mouth rinse, right? That’s the promise of a new do-it-yourself (DIY) drug that’s making waves. The idea? Replace the cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth with a genetically modified version that eats the bad cavities.

And how does that work, you ask?

See, the key culprit behind cavities is Streptococcus mutans, a bacterium that produces acid and erodes your enamel and creates cavities. And scientists have engineered a version of it that produces alcohol instead of acid. This can neutralise the decay process. Once introduced, this engineered bacterium fights the harmful ones and claims your mouth as its permanent home. One application, and you’re set.

But here’s where things could get tricky. This innovation isn’t US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved and experts worry about unintended consequences. What happens when these engineered microbes migrate to your gut (a haven for bacteria) and mess with the other bacteria, viruses and fungi in there? Could they trigger unforeseen health issues?

We can’t tell for sure. But DIY medicines like these have reignited interest in these innovations.

And despite the risks, the drug is gaining popularity among those looking to avoid the drill-and-fill dentist routine. Companies and startups are exploring ways to bring genetically engineered bacteria directly to consumers, often bypassing regulatory pathways by marketing their products as cosmetics. It’s a tempting proposition: cure your cavities at home, skip the anxiety-inducing dental chair, and call it a day. Even dentists see a silver lining, viewing it as a way to tackle one of their least liked tasks.

But let’s think bigger. This isn’t just about healthcare; it could very well be about control. In a world dominated by quick fixes, this drug fits neatly into the DIY medicine trend, where people want to take their health into their own hands. The question always remains at what cost, though? Because self-administered treatments often bypass rigorous testing, and could leave users as unwitting test subjects.

And there’s a broader question. Could this shift how we think about healthcare entirely? If popping a pill can fix a problem, will we devalue preventive care—like regular checkups — that catches bigger issues early? Will dentists become obsolete, or will their role evolve into something unrecognisable?

You tell us. Would you trust a genetically engineered bacterium to save your teeth?

Infographic 📊

This Day in Financial History 📜

December 7, 1909 — Leo Baekeland obtained a patent for the world’s first fully synthetic plastic

On this day, Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland secured a patent for Bakelite from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. For context, Bakelite was the first-ever 100% man-made plastic.

Some people are born to change the world, and Baekeland was one of them. His goal was simple: to find a synthetic alternative to Shellac, a natural product widely used in mouldable items. However, it was costly and labour-intensive to obtain it. Baekeland believed a mass-producible alternative, easy to make and synthetic, could be a game-changer.

And his vision and experiments worked like magic.

The result was Bakelite, a robust, insoluble and infusible (that which cannot be melted) material that could be shaped into just about anything. It could be even coloured in various shades. Plus, it was heat-resistant and non-conductor of electricity, making it perfect as an electric insulator. It was durable and was resistant to moisture.

Soon, Bakelite was everywhere. It found applications in jewellery, buttons, ashtrays, cutlery handles, doorknobs and most famously, radios and telephones. It replaced materials like rubber and Shellac in countless products. And by 1944, deservedly earned the nickname “the material of a thousand uses”.

But despite its massive success, Bakelite had one drawback. While it could be coloured, the fillers made the colours somewhat lacklustre and soupy. And by the 1940s, brighter, more versatile synthetic polymers began taking over.

Eventually, in 1939, Baekeland sold the Bakelite trademark to Union Carbide, an American chemical company.

While advanced polymers eventually replaced it, Bakelite will forever be remembered as the frontrunner of the plastics industry.

Fun fact: Interestingly, before Bakelite, Baekeland had already made waves with another invention — Velox photographic paper. This invention caught the eye of George Eastman of Eastman Kodak. You remember Kodak cameras, right? Baekeland sold the rights for his paper for around one million dollars, a massive fortune at the time.

Finshots Weekly Quiz 🧩

It’s time to announce the winners of our last two weekly quizzes. And the winners are…🥁

Mayank Jha. Congratulations! Keep an eye on your inbox and we’ll get in touch with you soon to send over your Finshots merch. And for the rest of you, we’ve moved the quiz to our weekly wrapup. So make sure you answer all the questions correctly by 12 noon on December 14, 2024 (Saturday) and tune in here next week to check if you got lucky.

Anyway, that’s it from us this week. We’ll see you next Sunday! Until then, don’t forget to tell us what you thought of today’s newsletter.

📢And yeah, if you’ve noticed, we didn’t have a readers’ recommendation today. That’s because, folks, we’ve run out of them. So send us your book, music, business movies, documentaries or podcast recommendations. We’ll feature them in the newsletter! Just hit reply to this email (or if you’re reading this on the web, drop us a message: morning@finshots.in).

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