Hey folks!

Turns out, you can now choose your baby’s intelligence quotient (IQ) like a pizza topping.

A US startup recently released a whitepaper about IVF (in-vitro fertilization) parents getting the chance to screen embryos before implantation. And this screening is not just for health risks, but traits like intelligence too.

To put it simply, here’s how it works: during IVF, multiple embryos are created. These are run through an AI model trained on vast genetic data, which generates a polygenic score for each one. Think of it as a predictive report card. Parents then get to pick the embryo with the best combo of health and potential. Say lower risk of disease, or slightly higher predicted IQ.

So no, no one’s editing genes or designing babies from scratch. Since it’s all based on the parents’ DNA. The only thing changing is the choice. And while the IQ edge might be modest, the health benefits could be meaningful by cutting the risk of inherited diseases.

But the bigger shift might be philosophical. If algorithms can predict which version of your child has the better odds, how do we stay human in a world run by probabilities? Yuval Noah Harari has a suggestion in 21 Lessons for the 21st Century: “If you want to retain some control over your personal existence and the future of life, you have to run faster than the algorithms... and get to know yourself before they do. Leave all your illusions behind. They are very heavy.”

It's a reminder that even in a world obsessed with optimisation, maybe the most valuable thing could be to understand oneself and examine the forces shaping our choices. Because like it or not, the randomness of life is already being nudged by algorithms.

Here’s a soundtrack to put you in the mood 🎵

‘Kayenaat’ by Judy on the run

You can thank our reader Varun Khiatani for this beautiful rec.

What caught our eye this week 👀

The red-sealed letter is gone. But the red van isn’t.

This week, India Post confirmed something big. The Registered Post service, a 50-year-old icon of Indian communication, is being phased out. And the internet felt a little nostalgic.

Because if you grew up in the 90s or early 2000s, Registered Post meant serious business. Exam results, court summons, job letters, college admissions. You signed for it, tracked it obsessively, and filed the receipt like your life depended on it.

So why shut it down?

Well, it turns out that hardly anyone’s been using it anymore. Official data shows a 25% drop in usage between 2011 and 2020 from 244 million to 184 million items. So this was before apps, email, and PDF attachments took over. And today, for most official things, there’s no postman, just a push notification.

Which is why India Post is merging Registered Post with Speed Post. It’s the faster, tech-savvier cousin. Same security, tracking, and proof of delivery… just quicker.

The catch? Speed Post costs 20–25% more. For city users, that’s fine. But for farmers, pensioners, and others in rural areas — where India Post is often the only logistics option — it’s a bump that could hurt.

Still, the real story isn’t about what India Post is ending. It’s about what it’s becoming.

Because even as letters fade, India Post has reinvented itself as a banking and digital payments giant.

Yup.

Enter India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), it’s another division. Since its pilot launch in 2017, it’s been quietly turning postmen into last-mile bankers by offering money transfers, savings, insurance, even investments. With 1.55 lakh post offices and 3 lakh postal employees in every district, and reach across 5.5 lakh villages, IPPB now serves over 10 crore customers. It’s bagged awards for financial inclusion, is prepping for an IPO in a year, and could soon be one of the largest last-mile banking networks in the world.

So yeah, the red-sealed letter is being rebranded. But the red van is still on the move with financial services. And who knows, it might just pull off one of the biggest rebrands we’ve seen in a while.

Infographic 📊

📺What TRUMP's Tariff War Means for Indian Businesses

What happens when the world’s factory gets shut out by the US? It looks for new markets. And India might be first in line.

As Donald Trump hits China with brutal tariffs, Chinese manufacturers are staring at overflowing inventories and shrinking export options. Enter India—with its massive market and already fragile manufacturing sector.

We tell you how China is using India to dump excess goods, what it all means for Indian jobs, factories, and the economy. And most importantly—what can India even do about it?

Click here to watch the Finshots TV episode and get all the answers.

Readers Recommend 🗒️

This week, our reader Siva Ramakrishna recommends reading Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata.

Siva writes, “Convenience Store Woman is a quirky and thought-provoking story about Keiko, a 36-year-old woman who’s been working at the same convenience store in Tokyo for 18 years. Everyone around her thinks she should "grow up"—get a real job, get married, or do something more "normal." But Keiko is totally content with her routine and the order the store gives her life. The book dives into what it means to fit in, why society pushes certain life paths, and how weird it can be to just be yourself. It's short, funny, a little dark, and super relatable if you've ever felt like you don’t quite fit the mold.”

Thanks for the rec, Siva!

Finshots Weekly Quiz 🧠

It’s time to announce the winner of our previous weekly quiz. And the winner is…🥁

Anjali Yadav! Congratulations. Keep an eye on your inbox and we’ll get in touch with you soon to send over your Finshots merch.

And for the rest of you, check out our Weekly Wrapup for your chance to win some exclusive Finshots merch. All you have to do is, answer all the quiz questions correctly by 12 noon on August 15th (Friday) and tune in to our Sunny Side Up next week to check if you got lucky.

Until then, send us your book, music, business movies, documentaries or podcast recommendations. We’ll feature them in the newsletter! Also, don’t forget to tell us what you thought of today's edition. Just hit reply to this email (or if you’re reading this on the web, drop us a message at morning@finshots.in).

We’ll see you next Sunday!

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