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- May 14th 2025
May 14th 2025
Max Gray
May 14, 2025
The Daily Innovation Newsletter
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May 14th 2025
💻 Technology
CERN researchers have achieved modern-day alchemy by converting lead into gold through ultraperipheral collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, where glancing lead ions shed protons via electromagnetic dissociation. Although the resulting gold atoms last only microseconds, this marks the first direct measurement of such a nuclear transmutation. The breakthrough, detailed by the ALICE experiment, advances understanding of extreme nuclear processes and matter behavior.
🌎 Sustainability
🇺🇸 US scientists engineer ‘Superwood’ stronger than steel for sustainable, fire-resistant construction
InventWood, a Maryland-based startup, has unveiled "Superwood"—a bioengineered timber up to 10 times tougher than steel yet retains the natural aesthetic of wood. Created by removing select cellular components and compressing the material, this fire-resistant, waterproof, and pest-proof composite offers superior strength-to-weight performance and is ready for commercial rollout in late 2025. Backed by over $50 million in funding, including from the U.S. Department of Energy, this innovation could transform construction with a sustainable, locally sourced alternative to metal.
A collaboration between INEOS Energy and Wagenborg Offshore has produced Europe’s first CO₂ carrier, designed to transport 400,000 tons of liquefied carbon annually for undersea storage as part of Denmark's Project Greensand. Built in the Netherlands, the ship will deliver captured emissions to the Nini West platform, injecting CO₂ 1,800 meters below the seabed. This milestone in the EU’s carbon capture and storage infrastructure marks a major advance toward scalable climate mitigation.
Scientists at the University of Borås have developed a method to transform lignin—a forest industry byproduct—into sustainable, fiber-reinforced plastics. By chemically modifying lignin using microwaves and acetic anhydride, the team created strong, lightweight biocomposites compatible with polymers like PLA and suitable for 3D printing and molding. This innovation not only reduces plastic waste and fossil fuel reliance but also gives new value to industrial byproducts, offering a scalable path toward greener material production.
💊 Healthcare
🇬🇧 UK scientists train national-scale health AI on 57 million people to predict disease before onset
Researchers in the UK have developed Foresight, a generative AI model trained on anonymized health records from 57 million people to forecast illnesses and guide preventative care. Built using Meta’s LLaMA 2 architecture and backed by the NHS, the model analyzes vast datasets to predict over 1,000 conditions and potential hospitalizations. Though still in pilot testing, its unprecedented scale could transform national healthcare—if public trust in data privacy and ethical oversight can be maintained.
🇦🇺 🇺🇸 Australian and US scientists identify 25 genes linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder’s root causes
In a major genetic study, researchers from QIMR Berghofer and the University of Florida have identified 25 genes associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), providing the strongest biological evidence yet for the disorder’s neurological basis. Published in Nature Genetics, the study analyzed DNA from over 2 million individuals, revealing genetic links to brain regions involved in habit formation and emotion regulation, and overlaps with conditions like anxiety, anorexia, and asthma. These insights could lead to precision medicine approaches and drug repurposing for more effective OCD treatment.
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See you soon,
Max