- The Daily Innovation Newsletter
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- May 23rd 2025
May 23rd 2025
Max Gray
May 23, 2025
The Daily Innovation Newsletter
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May 23rd 2025
💻 Technology
Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China have developed contact lenses that allow humans and mice to perceive infrared light without any power source. The lenses use embedded nanoparticles to convert near-infrared wavelengths into visible light, enabling real-time night vision, even through closed eyelids. This breakthrough, published in Advanced Materials, could revolutionize applications in security, visual assistance, and communication by offering discreet, wearable infrared vision.
⚡️ Energy
🇳🇱 Dutch engineers launch world's first offshore solar-wind hybrid to quintuple sea-based energy output
Dutch companies CrossWind and Oceans of Energy have completed a key milestone in deploying the world’s first offshore solar installation integrated into an existing offshore wind farm. Located at the Hollandse Kust Noord wind farm in the North Sea, the project is expected to increase energy output up to five times while using the same marine space. Anchored solar panels will work alongside wind turbines to provide a more continuous and efficient flow of renewable electricity, offering a scalable model for energy generation where land is limited.
🦾 Robotics
Hyundai Motor Group and Kia have launched AI-powered autonomous charging robots (ACRs) at Incheon International Airport to streamline electric vehicle charging in one of the world’s top travel hubs. The robots, developed by Hyundai’s Robotics LAB and supported by Kia’s system software and cloud services, autonomously locate, connect, and charge EVs without human intervention. As part of Incheon Airport’s “AI Innovation Hub” vision, the initiative demonstrates how AI and robotics can improve green mobility infrastructure in high-traffic environments.
🌎 Sustainability
MIT engineers have developed a polymer membrane that separates crude oil components by molecular size instead of heat, potentially reducing oil refining emissions by 90%. The membrane, detailed in Science, uses rigid imine bonds and triptycene-based pores to resist swelling and efficiently filter hydrocarbons, offering a transformative alternative to energy-intensive distillation. Adapted from water desalination technology, this innovation could dramatically improve industrial efficiency and lower global CO₂ output from one of the planet’s most polluting processes.
💉 Biotechnology
Researchers at Duke University have inserted a human-specific DNA enhancer, HARE5, into mice, triggering a 6.5% increase in brain size and complexity. Published in Nature, the study shows that HARE5 boosts early brain development by enhancing the Fzd8 gene and activating WNT signaling, leading to more neural stem cells and excitatory neurons. These findings highlight how subtle regulatory DNA changes, rather than new genes, may have driven the dramatic expansion and sophistication of the human brain.
💊 Healthcare
🇺🇸 US scientists extend ketamine’s antidepressant effect up to two months with new molecular strategy
Researchers at Vanderbilt University have shown it’s possible to significantly prolong ketamine’s antidepressant effects, from about a week to up to two months, by enhancing ERK signaling in the brain. The study, published in Science, used a compound called BCI to inhibit a protein that normally limits ERK activity, sustaining the synaptic plasticity that underpins ketamine’s mood-lifting impact. While BCI itself is not yet clinically viable, the findings offer a promising new direction for long-term treatment of major depressive disorder, especially in patients resistant to standard therapies.
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See you soon,
Max
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