- A new Science paper describes a modular robotic system for organic synthesis that is driven by a custom chemical programming language, potentially automating bench chemistry for biohackers and labs (http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2018/11/28/science.aav2211).

- Wikipedia’s “Designer baby” article was nominated for deletion just days before the He Jiankui CRISPR-baby announcement; participants argued that commercial PGD services (e.g., Genomic Prediction) already offer polygenic trait selection, making the concept notable and the timing of the AfD “very untimely.”

- Discussion highlighted that non-medical embryo selection (sex, eye/hair color, deafness) has been practiced for years, challenging the definition of “designer baby” and criticizing Wikipedia’s deletionist culture, especially the prior sanctions against editor “jytdog.”

- A National Academies Press report on “Human Genome Editing: Science, Ethics, and Governance” was shared as a key reference for policy and technical guidance (https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24623/human-genome-editing-science-ethics-and-governance).

- A Science paper on “Identity inference of genomic data using long-range familial searches” was circulated, underscoring privacy risks of public genomic databases (http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2018/10/10/science.aau4832).

- A provocative paper proposing a cosmic (panspermia) origin for the Cambrian explosion was linked, inviting debate on evolutionary mechanisms (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0079610718300798).

- Routine technical queries covered amniocentesis and cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) as established and emerging prenatal diagnostics, respectively.