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Markets: It was a down day to start the week on Wall Street, upsetting a winning streak that had propelled both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite to all-time highs as of last week’s final trades. Despite Monday’s losses, investors are still holding out hope that tomorrow’s inflation report could be enough to entice the Federal Reserve to approve another interest rate reduction before the end of the year.

A lot to discus: Roje Stona already proved how hard he can throw by taking a gold medal home to Jamaica after the Paris Olympics. But will his discus skills translate to the gridiron? He apparently hopes so, as evidenced by reports that he plans to try out for the NFL International Player Pathway program. It’s not the first time he’s expressed such goals. He was a standout track and field athlete during his days at the University of Arkansas and went on to receive invitations from the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers to minicamp.

Tick-tock, TikTok: Time is running out until the January 19 deadline by which Chinese-owned ByteDance either must sell its popular TikTok social media app or face a U.S. ban. Of course, the company is still pursuing all of its options to either push back that date or pause the existing order. And part of that process played out this week when TikTok sought a temporary injunction from the U.S. Supreme Court. In its court filing, the TikTok argued that the creators and businesses that rely on TikTok to reach customers could lose $1.3 billion in one month.

Slimming down: After decades of increase, the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics show that obesity rates are falling in the U.S. Although more than two in five Americans still fall into that category, it’s a significant decrease from the all-time high. As for what is behind the reversal, there’s no clear-cut evidence on the matter just yet. A post-pandemic increase in exercise and healthier eating could be part of the equation, but a crop of popular weight-loss drugs like Ozmpic and Wegovy might also explain some of it.

Risky business: A host of high-profile food recalls in recent years has taken its toll on the public’s confidence in the nation’s food safety regulators. Whether due to a dangerous contamination or an undisclosed allergen, these oversights can and do lead to deaths each year. And according to one recent Gallup poll, Americans now have less confidence when it comes to the safety of their food supply than at any other time on record. While testing has improved in recent years, critics say the entire system needs an overhaul at this point.

Losing a limb is a traumatic experience on its own, only amplified by the ongoing loss of at least some of the functions that missing appendage provided. But thanks to the latest technology in development, prosthetic limbs could soon perform on almost the same level as an arm or leg.

Alex’s story

When he was just 11 years old, Alex Smith was involved in a boating accident that led to the loss of his right arm. Although he was fitted for a prosthetic, it proved to be cumbersome and largely ineffective.

Like others in his position, Alex eventually gave up on using a prosthetic altogether in most situations, recalling: “They’re just not super functional. There’s a massive delay between executing a function and then having the prosthetic actually do it. In my day-to-day life, it just became faster to figure out other easy to do things.”

More than 20 years later, most prosthetics still rely on aging tech that attempts to identify signals from a person’s muscles, but often gets the message wrong.

Amputees might soon have a new option, though, and Alex is among the few people selected to test it early.

Under the skin

The device, launched by startup company Phantom Neuro, claims to offer many of the same benefits of brain implants without such an invasive process. This implant is designed to be placed under the skin to provide:

• More natural movements
• Faster response time
• Improved accuracy

So far in its testing, the company says it has achieved nearly 94% accuracy interpreting gestures involving the hand and wrist.

Clinical trials are slated to begin for the implant next year, and Alex is hopeful he’ll be among those who participate.

“I think this is going to be a total game changer,” he said.

From CEOs to shop owners, investors in Masterworks’ art offerings have received more than +$60,000,000 in total net proceeds to date (including principal) across their 23 exits.*

Surprised that so many people are interested in art investing? Bank of America recently found 83% of wealthy American investors 43 and under already collect, or want to. Normally, only the top 1% of investors would be able to diversify with art like Picassos and Banksys. But with Masterworks, you can easily diversify into this asset class without needing millions, or art expertise.

With a team that’s been working since 2019, Masterworks investors have realized representative annualized net returns like +17.6%, +17.8%, and +21.5% (among assets held for longer than one year).

Our readers can even SKIP THE WAITLIST

It’s only been around for seven years, but chances are you’ve seen it in your social media feed even if you haven’t walked out with one of those famous pink boxes.

Crumbl’s rise to prominence has been swift, unpredictable, and at least somewhat unrelated to cookies.

TikTok trendy

As any brand knows, reaching young people is crucial … and these days, there’s no better place to find them than on TikTok. For Crumbl, it was a natural fit.

The company has opened locations far and wide, with more than 1,000 currently in operation. Perhaps more impressive, though, is its nearly 10 million TikTok followers.

Whether online or IRL, Crumbl has fueled its growth by focusing not only on the taste of its cookies but the experience.

Constantly changing menus means you’ll have to act fast if you want to get a particularly yummy-sounding flavor. And in addition to the distinctive boxes, some of the more elaborate recipes are practically begging to be shared on social media.

Will it last?

They say all good things must come to an end, and our cultural preferences tend to shift over time. So will Crumbl’s reign as king of the sugary hill be short-lived? We’ll have to wait and see.

But for now, the company seems to be making the most of its viral exposure. A flurry of reviews, notifications from its popular app, and a buzz-generating pop-up event in Australia have all contributed to the massive attention surrounding this brand.

It hasn’t been that long since everybody was crazy for fancy cupcakes or build-your-own frozen yogurt cups. But Columbia University adjunct business professor Stephen Zagor notes an important distinction for Crumbl.

“This is an internet brand,” he said, noting that, for now, it seems to be making “all the right marketing moves.”

It’s no secret that the demand for increasingly large vehicles has remained constant for many years. The rise of SUVs has coincided with this cultural quest, but fuel economy hasn’t been the only casualty.

Pedestrians big and small

In D.C. alone — and in 2021 alone — 20 individuals were killed when they were struck by a motor vehicle while walking or riding a bike. And one of those victims was 5-year-old Allie Hart.

Her mother has since become an advocate for safer streets, focusing particularly on protecting pedestrians from the massive automobiles they’ll encounter on the road.

Nationwide, pedestrian fatalities reached the highest point in four decades two years ago and there’s no sign that the upward trend is subsiding. That’s due in part to the fact that today’s SUV and truck models are some of the biggest in history. Making matters worse, the prevailing design trend is boxy, which can reduce visibility.

Young children are especially vulnerable to these sprawling blindspots. That’s why Jessica Hart and her Families for Safe Streets organization is calling on lawmakers and regulators to include pedestrians in the equation when determining a vehicle’s safety rating.

Making progress

Amid pressure from Hart’s group and others across the nation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has confirmed that its New Car Assessment Program will be updated to factor in pedestrian safety.

This move will put American regulators on par with their counterparts in Europe, where vehicle designs are already required to adhere to both driver and pedestrian safety standards.

While it should be seen as a positive sign that the U.S. assessment program will now take pedestrian safety into account, advocates say a lot more work needs to be done to address the troubling spike in pedestrian injuries and deaths.

Why do bees have sticky hair?

Because they use a honeycomb!