- Anti-CRISPR proteins were highlighted as a potential “genetic firewall”: parents could install them in embryos to block any future CRISPR-based enhancements, raising the specter of germline DRM.  
- Participants debated whether a universal cellular defense against all gene-editing methods is even theoretically possible; proposals ranged from recoding the entire genome to borrowing ultra-efficient DNA-repair machinery from radiation-tolerant bacteria.  
- A darker scenario emerged in which authoritarian regimes or advertisers deploy infectious, ad-supported gene-therapy vectors that turn skin into animated billboards or secrete brand-specific odors—forcing society to adopt “genetic spam filters” that trigger cell suicide upon detecting edits.  
- The conversation linked to a Nature review on Anti-CRISPR mechanisms (https://www.nature.com/articles/nrmicro.2017.120) and a biorxiv preprint mapping dense neuropeptide networks in mouse cortex (https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/01/13/519694).  
- The Future of Humanity Institute’s new report “Reframing Superintelligence: Comprehensive AI Services as General Intelligence” was circulated (https://www.fhi.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/Reframing_Superintelligence_FHI-TR-2019-1.1-1.pdf).  
- A GreaterWrong post outlining a quantitative framework for evaluating aging-research priorities was shared (https://www.greaterwrong.com/posts/iuybRR8xqbF92J2cK/a-general-framework-for-evaluating-aging-research-part-1).  
- Cheap software-defined radio hacks using the $15 Osmo-FL2K dongle were noted as an accessible route to FM, GPS, and other RF spoofing (https://hackernoon.com/osmo-fl2k-a-15-dtv-transmitter-fm-radio-hijack-and-gps-spoofing-device-68ac08ba7d76).  
- News that cotton seeds had sprouted aboard China’s Chang’e-4 lunar lander was posted (http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-01/15/c_137745115.htm).