Twitter chaos, vaccine news, hieroglyphics translator

Good morning, Quartz readers! Hackers caused chaos for Twitter. In what appeared to be a cryptocurrency scam, they targeted high-profile accounts—Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian, etc—and forced the company to take emergency measures. But [Quartz]( Good morning, Quartz readers! Here’s what you need to know Hackers caused chaos for Twitter. In what appeared to be a cryptocurrency scam, [they targeted high-profile accounts]( Gates, Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian, etc—and forced the company to take emergency measures. But don’t worry, verified users can now tweet again. The US Supreme Court allowed another federal execution in Indiana. [Again in the early hours of the morning]( justices voted 5-4 to clear the way for the execution of convicted murderer Wesley Purkey. A lower court had wanted to evaluate his mental competency first. Donald Trump has a new campaign manager. With the election just over four months away, and the US president trailing Joe Biden in polls (for what they’re worth), [Bill Stepien replaced Brad Parscale]( who’s reportedly taken the blame for the poorly attended Tulsa rally last month. China’s economy is growing again. Official data showed a 3.2% expansion in the last quarter, [surprising many analysts]( following [a contraction last quarter]( first such slump since at least 1992. [Its industrial output]( also grew for the third straight month, although retail is still struggling. An Indian company could step into Huawei’s shoes. Reliance Industries yesterday announced that it has [developed its own 5G technology]( although India itself is [a long way from using it]( and has also attracted $4.5 billion from Google. Its Chinese rival [has had a few problems]( to say the least. Sponsor content by Masterworks Bull… Bear… Who Cares? Fact check: data shows only 1% of day traders actually turn a profit. Instead of obsessing over the market, build a well-rounded portfolio by investing in art, an asset class that has outperformed the S&P by over 180% since 2000 according to industry data. Skip the 25,000+ waitlist by [signing up here](. See disclaimer. Some good news on Covid-19 vaccines You know we could all use some. Here’s the latest from around the world: - Moderna said its test on 45 volunteers in March [exceeded expectations]( its final-stage trial with 30,000 participants will [start July 27](. - India’s Zydus has [started human studies]( aiming to recruit 1,000 subjects. - An initial trial of a new vaccine by Russia’s military had [no complications]( or adverse reactions. - The US Food and Drug Administration put a vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech [on the fast track]( for development and review. - Oxford University and AstraZeneca, whose vaccine is already in phase 3 human tests, will publish what is rumored to be positive [data on phase 1]( on July 20. Charting contact tracing Over the past three months, about 50 national governments have released contact tracing apps to help warn their citizens if they’ve been exposed to someone infected with Covid-19. Data from mobile app analytics firm Sensor Tower suggests that, so far, most apps have not seen the download rates they need to effectively curtail the spread of coronavirus. These are the eight countries with the most widespread usage, but [check out the full chart to get the whole picture.]( [A bar chart showing the adoption rates for contact tracing apps around the world. Qatar has 91.8%, Israel has 22.3%, Australia has 21.6%, Switzerland has 17.6%, Turkey has 17.3%, Germany has 14.4%, India has 12.5%, and New Zealand has 10.7%.] ✦ For members: Transforming companies through literature Ann Kowal Smith, founder and executive director of Books@Work, suggests discussing literature as a means of broaching conversations about race in the workplace. [Research also suggests]( reading may help [increase empathy and understanding]( (pdf) of others’ experiences, potentially spurring better real-world behavior. A few of the books and stories on race that really resonate with workers: 📖 [The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot]( “It’s an incredible story because it’s all about racial inequality and health disparities,” says Smith—a particularly timely topic given the [disproportionate effect]( of Covid-19 on the US’s Black population. 📖 [Kindred, by Octavia Butler]( “It’s a fantastic novel about a Black woman married to a white man who lives in California in the 1970s, who has a series of dreams that transport her back to the plantation where her grandmother was born. It’s all about the legacy of slavery.” 📖 [Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi]( This novel, which begins in 18th-century Ghana and goes on to cover eras from slavery to the Jazz Age, “is beautifully constructed and written, but also has this broad, sweeping story through the lens of multiple generations.” Read Smith’s full list of recommendations [here]( as part of our field guide on [how to build an antiracist company](. And of course, our recommended reading includes lots of Quartz content, which you can have full access to by snagging a membership. [Try it for free for seven days](. We’re obsessed with the work week [An animated gif of a baby penguin wearing a top hat and carrying a briefcase, walking rapidly.] Giphy Punching the clock. Why, ask modern observers of burnout and critics of our faltering wellbeing, are we still shackled to 40+ hours at a desk, clocking in doggedly, albeit digitally, each day, when many jobs don’t require it? Believe it or not, the work week as we know it was only created as a response to the industrial revolution’s labor excesses. Which isn’t to say we’re working the right amount. Stop whatever work you’re pretending to do, and [let the Quartz Weekly Obsession be your boss for a while](. Surprising discoveries Germany’s largest meteorite was discovered in someone’s garden. It had [sat in the yard]( for decades, unnoticed. Google launched a hieroglyphics translator. The tool uses machine learning to [decode ancient Egyptian language](. Whales might be enjoying less stressful lives right now. Scientists are studying whether the [quieting of the seas]( amid the pandemic is altering the marine mammals’ hormones. What does the world look like from a beetle’s-eye view? Researchers strapped [tiny cameras]( to the insects’ backs to find out. The world is going to have a lot fewer babies. A new study predicts [fertility rates will drop]( in nearly every country by 2100. Correction: In Tuesday’s Daily Brief, we wrote about “Daniel Lee Lewis.” The name of the convicted murderer is in fact Daniel Lewis Lee. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, quiet seas, and garden-variety meteorites to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by[downloading our app]( on iOS and[becoming a member](. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Hasit Shah, Nicolás Rivero, Jackie Bischof, Susan Howson, and Liz Webber. [facebook]( [twitter]( [external-link]( Enjoying Quartz Daily Brief? Forward it to a friend! They can [click here]( to sign up. If you’re looking to unsubscribe, [click here](. Quartz | 675 Avenue of the Americas, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10011 | United States Copyright © 2020 Quartz, All rights reserved.