August 1st 2025

Author

Max Gray
August 01, 2025

The Daily Innovation Newsletter

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August 1st 2025

A quick update from me

With summer in full swing, the flow of innovation news is quieter than usual. For the next few weeks, I’ll be switching from daily to a weekly edition - still packed with the most important and uplifting stories worth knowing. This way, you’ll get the same quality insights without filler, straight to your inbox once a week.

Thanks for reading and being part of this community - I’ll be back with your next dose of innovation soon.

💻 Technology

Scientists at the Beijing Institute of Technology have created a visual microphone that uses light to detect and reconstruct sound by observing tiny surface vibrations on everyday objects like paper or leaves. Unlike earlier optical eavesdropping systems that required lasers or high-speed cameras, this setup uses single-pixel imaging and affordable components, making it compact and accessible. Published in Optics Express, the technology could be used in areas where traditional microphones fail, such as search and rescue, through barriers, or even in medical monitoring, while raising new ethical considerations.

🚀 Space

NASA researchers have completed five flight tests of a sensor-embedded supersonic parachute designed to improve the safety and reliability of spacecraft landings on Mars. Led by the EPIC (Enhancing Parachutes by Instrumenting the Canopy) team, the tests used drones to launch capsules carrying flexible strain sensors, which successfully captured performance data without affecting the parachute material. The project, conducted at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center, aims to refine computer models of parachute inflation dynamics and could also benefit industries like aerospace and auto racing.

🌎 Sustainability

Researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand have launched the Rhisotope Project, injecting rhino horns with low-level radioactive isotopes to make them detectable by international radiation scanners and deter illegal trafficking. Proven safe for the animals, the method enables horn detection even inside sealed shipping containers, creating a powerful new tool against poachers. With rhino populations critically low, this nuclear-based tracking system offers a promising defense for one of Africa’s most endangered species.

💉 Biotechnology

A baby boy named Thaddeus was born in Ohio from a 1994 embryo, setting a record for the longest-frozen embryo to result in a live birth. The embryo, originally created by another couple and cryopreserved for 30 years, was adopted through the Snowflakes embryo adoption program and transferred at Rejoice Fertility clinic. This milestone highlights the growing reliability of long-term embryo preservation and the continued progress in in vitro fertilization techniques.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have used AI tools like AlphaFold to redesign plant immune receptors, enabling crops such as tomatoes and potatoes to detect and resist a wider range of harmful bacteria. By identifying key amino acid changes in the FLS2 receptor, the team revived and enhanced immune recognition, offering a targeted approach to combat diseases like bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. Published in Nature Plants, this work could lead to broad-spectrum, AI-guided crop protection strategies.

That’s all for today, please reply to this email if you have any comments or feedback, we’d love to hear from you about what we can do better!

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See you soon,

Max

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