June 26th 2025

Author

Max Gray
June 26, 2025

The Daily Innovation Newsletter

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June 26th 2025

💻 Technology

Researchers from the University of Tartu have transformed obsolete Google Nexus phones into pocket-sized data centers capable of handling image analysis and cloud tasks, outperforming Raspberry Pi devices. Using open-source software and external power, the system reuses discarded smartphones to reduce electronic waste and server-related environmental impacts. The project, tested during underwater fieldwork, highlights how old devices can meet real-world data needs, promoting sustainable tech reuse.

⚡️ Energy

Gradiant, a US-based resource recovery firm, has launched the world’s first fully integrated lithium facility that extracts the metal from oilfield produced water in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale. Using its proprietary EC² technology, the plant achieves over 95% lithium recovery with reduced water, energy use, and environmental impact, aiming to supply up to 50% of US lithium demand. Commercial operations are set for 2026, offering a faster, more sustainable alternative to traditional mining as lithium demand for EVs and energy storage surges.

💉 Biotechnology

Google DeepMind has launched AlphaGenome, an AI model that predicts how DNA mutations affect gene regulation, splicing, and protein binding across vast genome regions. Processing up to 1 million base pairs at once, AlphaGenome outperforms existing tools by offering unified, high-resolution predictions for both coding and non-coding DNA. Though not yet for clinical use, it promises major advances in rare disease research, synthetic biology, and understanding genetic links to conditions like leukemia.

Researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Japan have engineered liver organoids that form their own blood vessels and produce essential clotting proteins like Factor VIII. Using stem cells and a novel culture system, the team created functional tissue capable of correcting severe bleeding in hemophilia mouse models, as reported in Nature Biomedical Engineering. The breakthrough advances prospects for lab-grown organs and new therapies for liver failure and bleeding disorders.

💊 Healthcare

California-based Ocutrx Technologies has unveiled HemoLucence, an AI-driven imaging system that renders blood translucent during surgery, potentially eliminating one of the biggest barriers to surgical visibility. Using advanced computational physics, light-scattering correction, and neural networks, the system reconstructs real-time 3D images of tissue hidden beneath blood. Though still in prototype stages, this innovation could reduce surgical risks, cut operation times, and enhance precision if proven effective in clinical trials.

California-based Amgen has developed MariTide, a once-monthly injection that helped trial participants lose up to 16% of body weight, comparable to weekly treatments like Ozempic but with simpler dosing. The drug, combining GLP-1 receptor activation with GIP receptor blocking, helps regulate hunger signals and metabolism, showing promising results in The New England Journal of Medicine. A phase 3 trial is planned to confirm its effectiveness, especially for people in remote areas or with obesity-linked health conditions.

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See you soon,

Max

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