- **Differentiable Neural Computer (DNC)**: DeepMind’s new architecture couples a neural network to an external, differentiable memory matrix, enabling it to learn and perform algorithmic tasks such as shortest-path search on graphs and symbolic puzzle solving; the Nature paper is at http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v538/n7626/full/nature20101.html.

- **zk-SNARK Multi-Party Computation**: The Zcash project released an open-source protocol and code (https://github.com/zcash/mpc) for conducting a secure multi-party computation ceremony to generate public parameters for zero-knowledge proofs without any single party learning the toxic “waste.”

- **Ultra-low-cost gene synthesis**: General Biosystems (China) is delivering custom DNA at ~$0.17 per base-pair—half the price of GenScript—with comparable or better QC data and free sub-cloning into expression vectors, based on an on-chip synthesis method originally claiming <$0.0005 per bp.

- **Mozilla Quantum/Servo integration**: Mozilla’s “Quantum” roadmap outlines incremental replacement of Gecko subsystems with Rust components generated from Servo, aiming for memory-safe, parallelized browser internals.

- **Young-scientist discontent**: A Nature feature (http://www.nature.com/news/young-talented-and-fed-up-scientists-tell-their-stories-1.20872) collects testimonials on funding scarcity, career instability, and systemic incentives driving early-career researchers out of academia.

- **Longevity startup funding**: Unity Biotechnology raised $116 M (Bezos, Fidelity, Thiel) for senolytic therapies; related discussion on Hacker News also covered Ambrosia’s young-blood transfusion trials and Oisin Biotechnologies’ targeted cell-senescence removal.

- **Swifts in perpetual flight**: A Current Biology study reports that common swifts (Apus apus) remain airborne for up to 10 months per year, the longest continuous aerial phase yet documented in any bird (http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)31063-6).

- **DIY-hplus wiki updates**: Bryan Bishop added links to an attempted open-source implementation of the Mimblewimble blockchain protocol (http://diyhpl.us/diyhpluswiki/transcripts/scalingbitcoin/milan/mimblewimble/).