- DeepMind-style reinforcement learning was discussed after the release of a paper showing a system that taught itself chess in 72 hours and reached International-Master level (arXiv:1509.01549, MIT Technology Review).  
- maaku noted that DeepMind’s approach still relies on heavy parameter tweaking and programmer hard-coding, suggesting it is not yet a pure AGI test-bed.  
- kanzure shared a PLOS Genetics paper on recurrent gene domestication by Lepidoptera via bracoviruses, highlighting viral vectors as a mechanism for horizontal gene transfer in insects.  
- heath posted a Nature news article describing nanoparticles cloaked as blood-cell fragments that evade immune detection, a potential platform for targeted drug delivery.  
- ryankarason asked whether anyone in the channel had hands-on experience with “molecular logic gates,” opening a brief inquiry into DNA or chemical computing primitives.  
- nmz787_w floated a half-serious transhumanist hygiene concept: replacing toilet paper with precision urine jets, noting that Japanese “washlet” retrofits already implement similar ideas.  
- justanotheruser offered to use university access to retrieve pay-walled papers for others before 2016, underscoring the channel’s ongoing culture of open-access advocacy.