Hey folks!

Imagine you’re eyeing two pairs of jeans — one priced at ₹150 and another at ₹2,000. Which one would you go for if money wasn’t a factor? Which would you assume is more durable, sustainable or just plain better?

Chances are, many of us would pick the pricier pair, thinking, “Higher price must mean higher quality, right?” But what if that’s just a myth?

Turns out it might just be.¹ That’s what a recent research by environmental charity Hubbub and international clothing brand Primark says.²

The idea was to spread the word about being more sustainable by buying less and choosing clothes that last longer. Because recycling worn-out clothes isn’t so simple. Just imagine, the average adult already has 118 items in their wardrobe, and a quarter of them haven’t been worn in over a year!

So, to get their point across, researchers tested about 60 items, from jeans to hoodies to T-shirts, covering everything from budget to high-end UK brands. They wanted to see how well these clothes held up against shrinkage, abrasion, colour runs, fading and overall durability.

And what they found out will blow your mind. Their tests showed that some budget pieces outperformed their pricey counterparts.

For example, they found women’s T-shirts under £10 were tougher than the ones at £40, and hoodies priced at £11-£20 held up better than the ones that cost three times more. Even jeans priced at £15 rivalled the durability of those over ten times the price!

The same went for men’s wear. A T-shirt under £5 ranked second for durability out of 17 items tested, beating out options ten times as expensive. Only the pricier men’s hoodies consistently came out on top.

So yeah, if you thought splurging meant getting something that lasts, well, it’s not always the case. Still, we’re a bit curious here. Maybe they should run a study in India too and see if the results are similar? What say you?

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

Ocean by Anuv Jain

Thanks for the rec Megha Moda.

What caught our eye this week 👀

AI’s got smelling powers now!

Did you ever think your phone could smell things? It sure sounds nuts but that day might not be too far!

Because thanks to some mind-blowing advances in artificial intelligence (AI), it can now ‘smell’. Yup, AI now has its own version of a nose.

Scientists have created systems that can analyse chemical compounds in the air and identify specific scents and it’s something called ‘digital olfaction’.

But how does it work, you ask?

Well, when we smell something, we’re actually sensing tiny molecules floating in the air. These molecules bind to receptors in our nose, which then send signals to our brain.

And AI is doing something similar. However, instead of a nose and brain, it’s using sensors and machine learning algorithms. And recently some scientists managed to trap the scent molecules of a freshly cut plum, analyse their structure, and recreate the scent from scratch!³ This is something they’re calling ‘Scent Teleportation’.

Imagine taking a super detailed photo, not of light, but of chemical signatures. That’s what they did. And the result? The replica version of this scent smelled just like a real plum, and that’s pretty amazing!

But what could we do with this digital smelling power?

A lot.

Imagine AI sniffing out gas leaks before they become dangerous or spotting spoiled food before it hits the shelves. Hospitals could even use AI to diagnose illnesses — some diseases actually have unique odours, which means AI could help doctors identify them. And how about environmental monitoring? AI could sniff out pollutants and keep our cities cleaner.

And think about saving the smell of your favourite moments like the bouquet from your wedding or the salty ocean breeze on a beach vacation. AI could personalise scents for your home or even create fragrances to match your mood. So yeah, the possibilities are endless.

But, of course, let’s talk about the bigger picture too. If we let AI do all the smelling for us, will we become too dependent on machines? Well, just like social media, which has its ups and downs, relying on AI for our senses could have its pros and cons, and it all boils down to how much tech and AI we let into our daily lives.

Maybe the key is to use this technology mindfully and enhance our experiences without losing what makes us human.

Nevertheless, one thing’s for sure. AI is evolving faster than we ever imagined, and it’s going to keep changing the way we live. Whether it’s seeing, hearing or even smelling, it’s helping us experience the world in ways we never thought possible.

And who knows, maybe one day you’ll even be able to share the scent of your morning coffee over a video call. So yeah, the future sure smells exciting.

Infographic 📊

This Day in Financial History 📜

8th of November, 1895 - A German Scientist discovered X-rays

On this day, Wilhelm Roentgen stumbled upon something extraordinary: X-rays.

And it was purely by accident!

Roentgen, a curious physics professor, was working with a special glass tube covered in black cardboard when he noticed something strange. Invisible rays were passing through the tube and leaving an impression on a nearby screen. Fascinated, he started experimenting, placing objects between the tube and the screen to see what would happen.⁴ These rays seemed to pass through everything, but with different levels of clarity.

Curious, he asked his wife to place her hand in front of the tube. To his amazement, the result was an image of her bones and a ring on her finger. And it was a breakthrough!

Roentgen realised that these “X-rays” could capture images of the body’s inner structures because dense materials, like bones, absorb more of the rays than skin.⁵ It was so groundbreaking that he was awarded the first-ever Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.⁶ He didn’t even keep the prize to himself. Instead, he donated it all (worth over $1.2 million today!) to his university.

And soon enough, his accidental discovery transformed medicine. Doctors could now see inside the human body without surgery, making X-rays a medical game-changer. In fact, X-rays helped save President Ronald Reagan’s life in 1981 by quickly locating a bullet in his chest.

X-rays opened doors beyond medicine, too.⁷ With powerful X-ray telescopes, scientists explored the sun’s outermost layer, the corona, which emitted huge amounts of X-rays, neutron stars, and even black holes. NASA’s Mars rover used an X-ray tool to detect elements in Martian rocks, revealing secrets of the planet’s surface.

So, the next time you need an X-ray or read about space discoveries, remember Wilhelm Roentgen for accidentally shining a light on the invisible.

Readers Recommend 🗒️

This week our reader Sakshi Srivastava recommends reading Eat, Pray, Love, a book by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Sakshi describes this as a soul-searching memoir that follows the author’s year-long journey through Italy, India and Bali. It’s a heartfelt exploration of self-discovery, spirituality and love, inviting readers to embrace life’s varied and transformative experiences. This book is truly a delight to read, she says.

Thanks for the rec, Sakshi!

Finshots Weekly Quiz 🧩

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

Ojas Paliwal. 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, we’ve moved the quiz to our weekly wrapup. So make sure you answer all the questions correctly by 12 noon on November 16, 2024 (Saturday) and tune in here next week to check if you got lucky.

Anyway, that’s it from us this week. We’ll see you next Sunday!

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

🖖🏽

Don’t forget to share this edition on WhatsApp, LinkedIn and X.

Sources: BBC [1], Hubbub [2], Osmo [3], Indian Express [4], NASA [5], The Conversation [6], Arts and Culture [7]

📢About 30% medicines in India are fake. Yup! But how? Check out this special episode of FinshotsTV for all the answers.