• More energy means more humanity flourishing 
• Nuclear fission is the cleanest and safest form of energy that we have 
• As of 2022, nuclear energy accounts for 20% of the electric grid
• Energy is a positive-sum game; the more we have, the better we do! 
• A shift is occurring in the United States: In 2023, 57% of Americans say they favor more nuclear power plants to generate electricity in the country, up from 43% who said the same in 2020
• What if you were told the nuclear industry was the only industry that managed its toxic waste… wouldn’t you be impressed? 
• All of the nuclear waste that has been produced in the United States can fit inside of a football field, stacked 10 meters high 
• It is impossible to create nuclear weapons from nuclear fuel
• Using more energy raises the floor and ceiling for humanity; it can bring the rest of the world up to the Western standard of living, and help power all of the futuristic technology that entrepreneurs will create 
• The amount of radiation that leaked out of the Three Mile Island incident was about the same amount of radiation that you would be exposed to getting a chest X-ray at the doctor – a negligible amount 
• The reaction to Fukushima was completely overblown: it is debated whether zero people or one person died from any sort of radiation at Fukushima
• While nuclear fission has matured from a technological perspective, it has gotten bogged down from a political, cultural, economic, and regulatory perspective
• Significant strides are being made in nuclear fusion; it actually might be less than 30 years away! 

Welcome to the first episode of the first season of “Age of Miracles”. This new show from Packy McCormick, investor and writer of the Not Boring newsletter, asks the question: how do we create a future of abundance?

This season, we’re exploring the future of energy – specifically, diving deep into nuclear energy, both fission and fusion. The world needs more energy, not less, argues Packy, and nuclear has been neglected as a clean, reliable source of energy for too long. Joining Packy as co-host this season is Julia DeWahl, who previously helped scale SpaceX’s Starlink and Opendoor and is now co-founder of micro-nuclear reactor startup Antares. 

In this episode, Packy and Julia set the stage for the season. They start with how they each got nuke-pilled and how the global narrative on energy has shifted, following events like the war in Ukraine and growing inflation. Next, they bust the three most common myths about nuclear energy: it’s too unsafe, there’s too much nuclear waste, and nuclear energy = nuclear weapons. And then they set the stage for the real challenges we’ll tackle this season: the economics of nuclear power, regulation and the role of government, and the power of public perception. 

If you’re curious about the future of energy, technology, or how to get out of a doomer loop and start working towards an abundant future, join us. An age of miracles is within reach — if we're willing to work for it.

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For the full list of resources referenced in this show: https://ageofmiracles.co/ 

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This show is produced and distributed by Turpentine, a network of shows and other media properties.

Credits: Nancy Xu produced this season of Age of Miracles. Audio editor: Justin Golden. Video editor: Jake Salyers. Executive producers: Amelia Salyers, Packy McCormick, and Erik Torenberg.