New Sciences and
Technology
Hello everyone! Welcome to the first edition of our brand new section, New Sciences and Technology. I am Arya and I’m so excited for my first year in the Griffin Post! Science and technology continue to develop quickly, with new discoveries and projects announced every month.
In September 2026, researchers made major progress in artificial intelligence, space exploration, and energy. Here are three examples that stood out last month.
AI-Designed Proteins
On September 30th, 2026, Google DeepMind announced SynthID Bio, a technology that adds an invisible, detectable marker to proteins designed using AI. Synthetic biology, often abbreviated as SynBio, is an interdisciplinary field that designs and constructs new biological parts, devices, and systems, or re-engineers existing ones to achieve predictable and useful outcomes. Proteins are macromolecules that perform many important functions in living things, and scientists can now use AI to design new proteins. SythID Bio is designed to help researchers identify which proteins were created by AI without changing how the proteins work. In laboratory tests, the watermarked proteins kept their biological function. This could help scientists track AI-created biological research and improve safety as AI becomes more common in biology (Google DeepMind).
A New Space Telescope
On September 23rd, 2026, NASA announced that its PRIMA space telescope had advanced to the next stage of development. PRIMA will use far infrared light to study objects and events across the universe. It will help scientists investigate how planets form, how galaxies change over time, and how stars really develop. Its findings could give researchers a clearer picture of how the universe changes. The telescope is currently targeted for a launch in 2033, so PRIMA being in space is in our near future (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory).
Controlling Fusion
On September 2nd, researchers at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory announced successful tests of PACMAN, an AI system designed to help control nuclear fusion experiments. Fusion occurs when two atoms combine to create a larger, more heavy atom, this releases a massive amount of energy. Fusion is the process that powers the sun, and scientists hope to use it to produce electricity on Earth. However, controlling the extremely hot plasma needed for fusion is difficult. PACMAN was tested in five different experiments, where it helped manage changing conditions and predict certain problems before they occurred (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory).These developments show how researchers are using technology in different ways, from tracking AI Protein to studying distant galaxies and importing fusion experiments. Although these projects are still developing, they could contribute to important scientific discoveries in the coming years.
Works Cited
Google DeepMind. “Introducing SynthID Bio.” Google DeepMind, 30 Sept. 2026, https://deepmind.google/blog/introducing-synthid-bio/.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “NASA Selects Far-Infrared Telescope as First in New Mission Class.” NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 23 Sept. 2026,
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-selects-far-infrared-telescope-as-first-in-new-mission-class/
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. “PACMAN AI Framework for Controlling Fusion Systems Safely Makes Key Decisions in Milliseconds.” Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, 2 Sept. 2026, https://www.pppl.gov/news/2026/pacman-ai-framework-controlling-fusion-systems-safely-makes-key-decisions-milliseconds