🌏 The great chip race

Plus: The hottest July |

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Illustration: Dado Ruvic (Reuters)

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Intel is getting much more bullish on AI. Worried about falling behind in the global AI chip market race, the tech company wants to take on industry giant Nvidia.

A bombing in Pakistan killed at least 40 people. The attack, which targeted a gathering of a religious political party, comes as violence grows ahead of the country’s elections, scheduled for later this year.

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Adidas has another Yeezy drop coming. Unlike the first one, the second release of the German apparel maker’s leftover stock won’t be limited to members.

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Tupperware entered the meme stock club. Investors are turning extremely bullish on the stock for no apparent reason.

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July was probably the hottest July ever

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Graphic: Ananya Bhattacharya
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This month is not only on track to be the hottest July on record—it’s on track to be the hottest month ever, period. Quartz’s Ananya Bhattacharya explains why.


Quotable: Not many people are threading

“If you have more than 100 million people sign up, ideally it would be awesome if all of them or even half of them stuck around. We’re not there yet.”Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in a call with employees, as reported by Reuters on July 28

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Just weeks after attracting more than 100 million signups for the new rival to X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter, Threads hasn’t been able to keep half of its users logged in. Zuckerberg says new features will be the key to engagement… but maybe it’s much, much deeper than that.


One big number: $10 million

Fine paid by casino king Steve Wynn, the founder of Wynn Resorts, to settle a 2019 sexual misconduct case

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In addition to the fine, Wynn was banned from Nevada’s gambling industry—which he played a big role in developing—amid claims he made unwanted sexual advances toward several women under his employment. But settlements related to Wynn’s alleged sexual misconduct go far beyond $10 million.


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Surprising discoveries

America’s Appalachian Trail keeps getting longer. Originally 2,050 miles (3,300 km), it now is stretching farther and farther.

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Ivermectin may help reduce tick populations. Feeding the controversial antiparasitic drug to deer could kill the little critters that bite them.

Worms nestled in the Siberian permafrost have been revived. They’d been hanging out there for 46,000 years.

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Virgin births are possible in fruit flies. But it’s unlikely the method would ever work in humans.

Our solar system doesn’t really make sense without a ninth planet. That’s why scientists keep looking for one.

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