June 13th 2025

Author

Max Gray
June 13, 2025

The Daily Innovation Newsletter

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June 13th 2025

🤖 Artificial Intelligence

Researchers at Bar-Ilan University have developed a method to prune up to 90% of parameters in specific layers of deep learning models without reducing their accuracy. By deeply analyzing which parameters are essential for learning, they significantly cut memory and computational costs while preserving performance. Published in Physical Review E, this work could lead to leaner, more energy-efficient AI systems, especially valuable as AI becomes more widespread.

✨ Foresight From The Top Edition #2 Sneak Peek ✨

🚀 Demis Hassabis (CEO, Google Deepmind) says AI-native workers can be ten-times faster - but how do you actually unlock that speed?

💼 Robert F. Smith (CEO, Vista Equity Partners) predicts all finance pros will wield AI copilots by next year - so which judgment-heavy skills stay scarce (and better-paid)?

🎯 Sam Altman (CEO, OpenAI) thinks that next year AI will crack problems whole teams can’t solve - in which case, what single human ability skyrockets in value?

⚡ Something from me - Eliminate Busywork: Zero-Code AI Workflows for the 15 Biggest Time Sinks at Work

🌎 Sustainability

Researchers at the Institute for Basic Science in South Korea developed a photocatalytic system that uses sunlight to break down plastic bottle waste into hydrogen fuel. The floatable catalyst operates at the air–water interface, overcoming stability issues and functioning reliably outdoors for over two months. This scalable technology not only addresses global plastic waste but also enables clean, carbon-free hydrogen production, representing a step toward sustainable energy.

MIT researchers developed a hydrogel-based panel that absorbs moisture from the air at night and releases it as drinkable water during the day, functioning without electricity. Tested in Death Valley, the device operated across humidity levels from 21% to 88% and produced up to 161.5 ml daily. Published in Nature Water, this scalable, zero-energy system offers a low-cost solution to water scarcity in off-grid and arid regions.

💊 Healthcare

A Phase 3 trial showed that a new weekly risperidone pill, developed by Lyndra Therapeutics, delivers comparable therapeutic effects and blood drug levels to the daily version. The long-acting oral dose maintained patient stability with mostly mild side effects, potentially improving treatment adherence and simplifying care. Published in The Lancet Psychiatry, this innovation offers a more convenient option for managing schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

A team from Case Western Reserve University has developed a nanoparticle-based vaccine that completely eradicated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in more than half of preclinical models. The vaccine delivers antigens targeting common mutations in PDAC, prompting strong T cell responses and immune memory formation, with the potential for both therapeutic and preventive use. Backed by $3 million from the National Cancer Institute, the treatment combines three vaccine injections with an immune checkpoint inhibitor and is headed toward human trials.

Researchers at Australian National University have begun a world-first human trial of PMR-116, a drug designed to block ribosomal RNA synthesis downstream of the MYC oncogene - implicated in up to 70% of cancers. The basket trial targets various aggressive cancers fueled by MYC, offering a potential breakthrough for treatment-resistant tumors. Preclinical results showed PMR-116 significantly reduced tumor spread and growth in MYC-driven cancers.

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See you soon,

Max

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