Industry Musings by Brian Paxton: November 2025

People Change:

Novartis scientists have led the development of anti malarial medication.

Stanford Hospital Doctors have developed an AI tool that could reduce wasted efforts to transplant organs by 60%.

According to Our World in Data, flu causes about 400,000 respiratory deaths and 300,000 cardiovascular deaths globally each year with most of the deaths of the elderly taking place in South America, Africa and South Asia.

Food and Water:

America’s cattle herd is at its smallest since the 1950’s.

Climate Change and the Environment:

According to the UNHCR climate-related disasters have forcibly displaced 250 million people worldwide in the past ten years.

Hundreds of people in the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka have died in storms which caused floods and landslides. California experienced an atmospheric river while Storm Claudia battered Western Europe.

Low Cost Renewable Energy:

China earns more from exporting renewable energy products than America earns from oil and gas exports.

South Australia has experienced a world leading 75% of power from wind and solar over a 12 month period.

The IEA is forecasting that global oil demand will continue to grow till 2050.

The South Korean government announced plans to close all coal-fired power stations by 2040.

China announced the successful conversion of thorium to uranium in a 2 MW test reactor.

Autonomous Electric Vehicles:

Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng announced plans to use solid state batteries to power humanoid robots.

Joby Aviation is launching flying taxis in Dubai. 

Mass Data Mining and Storage:

Major insurers are investigating excluding AI risks from corporate policies.