- A PLOS Genetics paper was shared arguing that common autism-spectrum risk alleles show genome-wide signatures of positive selection, hypothesizing that these variants were favored during human evolution because they enhance neurogenesis and correlate with higher childhood intelligence, educational attainment, and college completion.  
- Discussion of an experimental “virus drip” continuous-culture scheme: a slowly replenished bowl forces viral populations to evolve greater infectivity or another target trait in order to keep pace with the medium flow, prompting questions about how to recover and re-seed evolved particles from the waste stream.  
- nmz787 floated a DIY electrophoresis concept inspired by rolled capacitors and Hostess “Ho Hos,” suggesting a pinwheel or spiral geometry as an alternative to conventional gel boxes.  
- IEEE Spectrum coverage of synthetic-biology CAD tools (BioStudio-dev on Bitbucket) was critiqued; participants argued that one-click genome-to-assembly workflows are not “crazy” but rather an obvious next step, paralleling experiences in silicon fabrication.  
- A Science Robotics article was linked describing a micrometer-scale molecular robot whose lipid-vesicle body changes shape in response to signal molecules, actuated by kinesin–microtubule machinery and controlled by a DNA-based clutch.  
- Hacker News and IEEE stories about three women blinded by an unproven Florida “stem-cell” clinic were highlighted as cautionary tales of for-profit, off-protocol interventions.  
- kanzure posted a Reddit AMA by “shaolinfry,” the pseudonymous author of the Bitcoin user-activated soft-fork (UASF) proposal, reflecting ongoing interest in decentralized governance mechanisms.  
- archels recommended the 1962 film “The Creation of the Humanoids” (linked on YouTube) as “essential watching” for mind-uploading enthusiasts.