The life sciences industry is increasingly taking over from the tech sector in driving global innovation, according to a Thomson Reuters analysis of global patents. With more patents applied for or granted in 2014 than in any other year in history, humankind has never been more inventive, whether in designing driverless cars, discovering new drugs for cancer or building bionic limbs. But growth in innovation has nonetheless slowed, with worldwide patent volume up 3 percent last year, the smallest annual rise since the end of the global recession in 2009. Previous years have seen near double-digit percentage increases.