Of Mice, Mates, and Movements
your Saturday roundup
Professionally, I focus on creating social benefit startups. In my Saturday morning emails I share what I’m learning and thinking. Topics range from better living and parenting to business and philosophy.
A Better FDA. I want to know how we can get more useful medicines. We may be entering a world where AI can help design and screen thousands of drug candidates at lightning speed. Yet the FDA doesn’t appear ready. It’s reducing staff, tightening vaccine approval standards, and perhaps reducing the already rare unannounced inspections. Assuming the capital is available to fund early drug development, the result could be a pipeline clogged with possibility and not enough approved medicines. So how should the US regulatory environment evolve for this new era? A few ideas to pick from:
Modernize testing: Could we replace animal models with human organs or organoids or eventually in silico toxicity testing for faster insights?
Empower patients: Expand the ability for volunteers to try new treatments under close supervision.
Privatize regulation: What if patients, with the help of certified private labs and expert advisors could choose to take the medicine of their choice without approval? Perhaps the government’s role could be requiring proper disclosure and tracking adverse events.
Rethink incentives: Should we move away from approved and patent drugs and explore alternatives like prizes or advance market commitments? These tools could reward innovation without locking in high prices for decades.
What’s Up with Dating? As a parent long out of the dating world, I want our kids to enjoy dating and eventually find a great spouse. I’m confused by what I’m learning about dating today. If you’re living through this era of dating, please teach me what it’s actually like. For example, online dating sounds promising, being efficient, scalable, and accessible. Does the constant awareness of other options make it harder to form lasting attachments? As I’m reading, these things sound concerning:
Among men under 30, over 60% are single, nearly double the rate of women in the same age group.
Sexual inactivity is rising: In 2008, only 8% of men under 30 reported no sex in the past year. In 2022 it was 28%. For women, it rose from 9% to 18%. (Is that just Covid?)
Many young men seem to be retreating into virtual worlds, turning away from real-life relationships.
Even among those who are single, 57% say they’re not looking for a relationship or even casual dates.
Then there’s the question of timing. Young adults today are reaching traditional milestones (first jobs, marriages, children) later than in previous generations. Does that just mean “later” or does it sometimes mean “never”?
Educational shifts are also shaping the dating landscape. More women are earning degrees yet many don’t want to marry men who are less educated. Does that mean we’re heading into an era of demographic mismatch—fewer “eligible” matches for highly educated women?
And as hard as dating can feel sometimes, are people putting in as much effort as it’s worth? From one economist: “People’s search for love, in a way, is inefficient. The effort individuals are willing to exert to find a partner is often much less than what a social planner would recommend.”
Nonviolence Revolution. According to research by Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan, between 1900 and 2006, nonviolent campaigns were twice as likely to succeed as violent ones in achieving regime change (53% versus 26%). Nonviolent resistance also tended to foster more democratic and peaceful societies post-transition, in part because it engaged broader participation during the movement itself. How does this work? A good starting point is the inspiring biography of Gene Sharp, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his groundbreaking scholarship on political defiance. His research spanned cases like communist Poland, Nazi-occupied Norway, British-ruled India, Tiananmen Square, and many others. His work helped inspire leaders behind the Serbian revolution, the Burmese movement, the Color Revolutions, and arguably even the Arab Spring. One of Sharp’s students, Peter Ackerman, went on to make a fortune on Wall Street (at Drexel, no less!) and used his wealth to support Gene’s work and fund similar organizations. When you think of nonviolent struggle, don’t just picture mass marches. Imagine 198 distinct “weapons” of noncooperation. And remember the strategy, creativity, and immense courage required to wield them effectively.
Until next time,
Miles