rare earth metals

The word “bacteria” doesn’t exactly evoke positive images, but scientists at Cornell University recently discovered a novel way to replicate and use a bacterium from Oneida Lake in New York state. It’s called Shewanella oneidensis, and it has a special affinity for the rare-earth elements — such as so-called lanthanides, metals that are important for clean, renewable energy technology. The bacteria can be used to process rare-earth metals through a method called biosorption, which is considered safer and less taxing on the environment than current means of extraction. Marketplace’s Lily Jamali discussed the findings with Buz Barstow, a professor of biological and environmental engineering at Cornell and a lead researcher on the project.

First, we cover some breaking news: Theranos ex-president Sunny Balwani has been found guilty of fraud (2:27). Then we dive into crypto: those responsible for the lack of crypto regulation in the US might also have significant crypto investments themselves, and the US is currently trying to change that (13:42). Then a big class-action lawsuit hits Solana and takes aim at VCs (23:09). But it's not all bad news, we cover the Turkish government claiming it just discovered almost 700M metric tons of rare earth materials (39:29). And finally, our startup of the day is a job board for warehouse workers (49:27)!

(0:00) Jason and Molly tee up today’s topics!

(2:27) Sunny Balwani found guilty of fraud

(12:26) Microsoft for Startups Hub - Apply in 5 minutes, no funding required, sign up at http://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups

(13:42) US officials that invest in crypto can’t work on crypto-related policies and regulation that could affect the value of their assets

(21:42) Masterworks - Skip the waitlist to invest in art using promo code TWIST at https://Masterworks.io/twist

(23:09) Key players in the Solana ecosystem are being accused of illegally profiting off the blockchain’s token SOL

(36:05) Crypto firm Uprise lost 99% of customer funds trying to short LUNA tokens during the Terra/Luna collapse last month

(38:12) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(39:29) The Turkish government is claiming it just discovered almost 700M metric tons of rare earth materials

(49:27) SotD: Traba has a job board that helps entry-level workers find shifts at fulfillment centers and event venues

(53:41) Outro + Plugs!

This episode is a deep-dive into gold and gold miners. Marin Katusa comes with a wealth of experience, having sat on boards of publicly traded companies and having arranged over a billion dollars in financing for various deals in the commodity sector.  IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN: Why the performance of gold miners are lagging the performance of the price of gold. How to invest in gold miners. The details of Warren Buffett’s investment in gold. Why the fear of deflation keeps Chair of the Federal Reserve Jay Powell up at night. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Join the exclusive TIP Mastermind Community to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Stig, Clay, and the other community members. Marin Katusa’s special offer for the listeners of The Investor’s Podcast. Marin Katusa’s free research on his website, Katusa Research. Tweet directly to Marin Katusa: @MarinKatusa. NEW TO THE SHOW? Check out our We Study Billionaires Starter Packs. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here. Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance Tool. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Stay up-to-date on financial markets and investing strategies through our daily newsletter, We Study Markets. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts.  SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: River Toyota Linkedin Marketing Solutions Fidelity Efani Shopify NDTCO Fundrise Wise NetSuite TurboTax Vacasa NerdWallet Babbel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices