---
title: "This Week in Science: Sept 15-21"
description: "Miss the science news from this week? We've got you covered. From mutant frogs to outer space, this week has been a doozy."
date: "2018-09-21"
modified: "2018-09-21"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/week-science-sept-15-21"
categories:
  - "Genetics"
  - "Health & Medicine"
tags:
  - "genetically engineered frogs"
  - "magnetic field"
  - "neural network"
  - "This Week in Science"
  - "twis"
---

# This Week in Science: Sept 15-21

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/TWIS.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Tag Hartman-Simkins\</em\>*

From computers made out of living cells to mutant frogs, this week was filled peculiar news stories from the world of science. Ever wondered what catching space debris using a spider-like web looks like? To find out, read on.

[**You Can Now Genetically Engineer Your Own Mutant Frogs For $499.**](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/mutant-frogs-genetic-engineering>) A famed biohacker is selling a kit that allows anyone to genetically engineer mutant frogs that are more massive than their naturally-occurring counterparts.

[**Researchers Just Got Funding to Grow a Neural Network in a Petri Dish.**](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/neural-network-petri-dish>) A team of biologists and computer engineers won a grant to develop a computer made out of living cells.

[**This Super Powerful Magnetic Field Puts Us One Step Closer to Nuclear Fusion.**](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/magnetic-field-nuclear-fusion>) Researchers from the University of Tokyo have created the strongest-ever controllable magnetic field, and it could help make nuclear fusion a reality

[**Alphabet AI Is Helping Release Sterile Mosquitoes in Singapore.**](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/debug-project-ai-mosquitoes>) An Alphabet-owned healthcare company called Verily is hoping to release male mosquitoes that carry a naturally-occurring bacteria that reduces the bugs' ability to transmit disease in Singapore.

[**See the First Image Produced by NASA’s Newest Planet Hunter.**](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/tess-image-nasa-planet-hunter>) NASA just shared the first image produces by Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), a satellite designed to help in the hunt for exoplanets.

[**UK Researchers Just Deployed a Massive Net to Catch Space Debris.**](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/removedebris-space-debris>) UK researchers are now testing RemoveDEBRIS, a satellite designed to trap space debris in a spider-like web so it can be removed before it damages spacecraft.

***More on This Week in Science: This Week in Science: Sept 8-14***

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)