🌏 Beyond the Olympic medals

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Here’s what you need to know

Ozempic-like drugs could be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found that people with dementia who took the daily injectable had a slower decline in cognitive function. Separately, other users of off-brand versions of the drugs are actually overdosing on them.

Meta’s Mark Zuckberg and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang bet big on AI. The tech leaders swapped leather jackets and rallied behind a future in which everyone has an AI assistant.

Meanwhile, Meta has agreed to pay Texas $1.4 billion over the use of facial recognition technology. The settlement is one of the largest brought by a single state.

Billionaire Barry Diller’s company is being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission. Diller called on Vice President Kamala Harris to fire the agency’s chief last week.

(Most) Olympians get big rewards on their victorious return

In some countries, Olympic athletes can earn more than just their medals. Some will receive six-figure bonuses, new apartments, and lifelong pensions for taking home a gold, silver, or bronze medal at the games.

There is one country where the medal bonuses are the highest: Hong Kong. Gold medalists from Hong Kong are rewarded with bonuses of up to $768,000, and even those who don’t podium can get up to $50,000.

Other countries compensate their competitors with more than just a single cash prize. Quartz’s Madeline Fitzgerald looked at all the prizes that are at stake.

McDonald’s is going bigger than a Big Mac

McDonald’s has plans to get customers back with the “Big Arch,” a new burger it’s been testing in select markets.

 The burger giant said the beef patty is a “quintessential McDonald’s burger with a twist.” However, there are some things to consider before deploying it worldwide.

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Surprising discoveries

There’s a table tennis elder at the Paris Games. 61-year-old Ni Xia is the oldest athlete at this year’s Olympic Games, and attests her good health to her diet.

Star swimmer Katie Ledecky hasn’t lost a 1500m race in 14 years. That’s GOAT status.

The U.S. women’s sevens rugby team medaled for the first time. They defeated Australia by just two points.

Mouth bacteria may kill some cancers. Scientists have found that it also improved outcomes for patients with head and neck cancers.

Complex life may have started 1.5 billion years earlier than originally thought. Researchers now think there’s a “two step evolution” that didn’t make a global spread.

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Our best wishes on a safe start to the day. Send any news, comments, table tennis wisdom, and swim tips to talk@qz.com. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Francisco Velasquez and Morgan Haefner.