• A Nature Communications paper (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03982-7) was highlighted as showing that atomically precise graphene can function as an “optical semiconductor,” enabling single-photon gates where light quanta simultaneously act as charge carriers and information states, potentially leading to ultra-fast, ultra-small photonic logic.

• Discussion framed this graphene work as a previously unknown route to on-chip photonic computation, with an ELI5 summary that single photons in graphene could replace both voltage levels and bit states in conventional electronics.

• A Cell Stem Cell paper (DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2018.09.004) was shared, describing the successful generation of viable bimaternal and bipaternal mice from hypomethylated haploid embryonic stem cells after targeted deletion of imprinting regions—an experimental milestone toward same-sex reproduction and advanced reproductive biotech.

• The 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was noted for finally recognizing directed-evolution techniques, marking mainstream acceptance of iterative protein engineering for novel enzymes and therapeutics.

• A VR-culture question was posed—whether current virtual-reality content is experiencing its “GeoCities phase,” implying an early, chaotic, low-quality era before maturation—linked to an art exhibition at Stroom Den Haag examining this analogy.