Lead Story
Danish researchers unveil nanolaser that could cut computer energy use in half
Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) reported this week, in findings published in Science Advances and covered September 11, 2026, that they have built an ultra-small nanolaser small enough to let microchips one day communicate with particles of light instead of electricity. At the device's core is a nanocavity that traps and concentrates light within an exceptionally tiny space, pushing past the conventional limit for how small a laser can be made. The team says thousands of the lasers could eventually be integrated onto a single chip, potentially cutting the energy consumption of computers, smartphones and data centers roughly in half, with additional applications envisioned in healthcare sensors.
Read more →Lead Story
Danish researchers unveil nanolaser that could cut computer energy use in half
Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) reported this week, in findings published in Science Advances and covered September 11, 2026, that they have built an ultra-small nanolaser small enough to let microchips one day communicate with particles of light instead of electricity. At the device's core is a nanocavity that traps and concentrates light within an exceptionally tiny space, pushing past the conventional limit for how small a laser can be made. The team says thousands of the lasers could eventually be integrated onto a single chip, potentially cutting the energy consumption of computers, smartphones and data centers roughly in half, with additional applications envisioned in healthcare sensors.
US solar installations surge 45% in Q2, pushing capacity past 50 million homes' worth
The Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie reported this week, in a Q2 2026 market update covered September 9-11, 2026, that the US solar industry installed 11.4 gigawatts of new capacity in the second quarter, a 45% jump from the same quarter a year earlier, driven by a surge in utility-scale projects racing to qualify for expiring tax credits. Utility-scale solar led the quarter with 9.6 GW installed, up 61% year-over-year, while Texas, Arizona and Florida topped the list of states adding capacity. The country's cumulative solar fleet installed in the first half of 2026 reached 19.2 GW, enough capacity in total to power more than 50 million American homes.
Read more →US solar installations surge 45% in Q2, pushing capacity past 50 million homes' worth
The Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie reported this week, in a Q2 2026 market update covered September 9-11, 2026, that the US solar industry installed 11.4 gigawatts of new capacity in the second quarter, a 45% jump from the same quarter a year earlier, driven by a surge in utility-scale projects racing to qualify for expiring tax credits. Utility-scale solar led the quarter with 9.6 GW installed, up 61% year-over-year, while Texas, Arizona and Florida topped the list of states adding capacity. The country's cumulative solar fleet installed in the first half of 2026 reached 19.2 GW, enough capacity in total to power more than 50 million American homes.
FDA accepts Nanoscope's gene therapy application to restore vision in severe retinitis pigmentosa
Nanoscope Therapeutics announced on September 9, 2026, that the US Food and Drug Administration has accepted for filing its Biologics License Application for Mogenry (sonpiretigene isteparvovec, MCO-010), a one-time optogenetic gene therapy for people with severe vision loss from retinitis pigmentosa. In the company's RESTORE trial, the therapy met its primary and key secondary endpoints, with patients showing visual acuity improvement sustained through 76 weeks and no treatment-related serious adverse events. If approved, Mogenry would be the first gene-agnostic therapy able to improve vision in retinitis pigmentosa patients regardless of which of the disease's many causative mutations they carry.
Read more →FDA accepts Nanoscope's gene therapy application to restore vision in severe retinitis pigmentosa
Nanoscope Therapeutics announced on September 9, 2026, that the US Food and Drug Administration has accepted for filing its Biologics License Application for Mogenry (sonpiretigene isteparvovec, MCO-010), a one-time optogenetic gene therapy for people with severe vision loss from retinitis pigmentosa. In the company's RESTORE trial, the therapy met its primary and key secondary endpoints, with patients showing visual acuity improvement sustained through 76 weeks and no treatment-related serious adverse events. If approved, Mogenry would be the first gene-agnostic therapy able to improve vision in retinitis pigmentosa patients regardless of which of the disease's many causative mutations they carry.
UCLA scientists engineer ready-to-use cancer-fighting T cells from donated cord blood
UCLA researchers reported September 9, 2026, in Cell Reports Medicine, a scalable method for manufacturing consistent, off-the-shelf batches of cancer-targeting T cells from blood stem cells obtained from donated umbilical cord blood. The engineered cells, called AlloESO-T, are designed to recognize a protein found in many solid tumor types via their T-cell receptors rather than only the surface proteins CAR-T therapies can detect, reducing the risk of attacking healthy tissue. In mouse models of ovarian cancer and melanoma, a single dose controlled tumor growth and extended survival without dangerous side effects; the team has already partnered with UCLA Health's Center for Advanced Biotherapies to scale up production toward a future clinical trial.
Read more →UCLA scientists engineer ready-to-use cancer-fighting T cells from donated cord blood
UCLA researchers reported September 9, 2026, in Cell Reports Medicine, a scalable method for manufacturing consistent, off-the-shelf batches of cancer-targeting T cells from blood stem cells obtained from donated umbilical cord blood. The engineered cells, called AlloESO-T, are designed to recognize a protein found in many solid tumor types via their T-cell receptors rather than only the surface proteins CAR-T therapies can detect, reducing the risk of attacking healthy tissue. In mouse models of ovarian cancer and melanoma, a single dose controlled tumor growth and extended survival without dangerous side effects; the team has already partnered with UCLA Health's Center for Advanced Biotherapies to scale up production toward a future clinical trial.
Rescuers save six more Bornean orangutans from wildfire-isolated forest in Indonesia
Indonesian wildlife rescuers evacuated six Bornean orangutans, including two nursing infants, from fire-threatened plantation land in West Kalimantan during the first two weeks of September 2026, after wildfires cut them off from the surrounding forest. A September 4 operation rescued juveniles Naufal and Nopan along with a mother, Nopi, and her infant; a follow-up rescue on September 8 retrieved a second mother-infant pair, Noni and her nursing offspring. All six were transferred to YIARI's Orangutan Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre for treatment and monitoring, bringing the total number of orangutans rescued from the fire-affected region to 15 within a single month.
Read more →Rescuers save six more Bornean orangutans from wildfire-isolated forest in Indonesia
Indonesian wildlife rescuers evacuated six Bornean orangutans, including two nursing infants, from fire-threatened plantation land in West Kalimantan during the first two weeks of September 2026, after wildfires cut them off from the surrounding forest. A September 4 operation rescued juveniles Naufal and Nopan along with a mother, Nopi, and her infant; a follow-up rescue on September 8 retrieved a second mother-infant pair, Noni and her nursing offspring. All six were transferred to YIARI's Orangutan Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre for treatment and monitoring, bringing the total number of orangutans rescued from the fire-affected region to 15 within a single month.