- New astrophysics paper (Phys.org, 2020-01-07) challenges the key assumption behind the 1998 discovery of dark energy; participants debate whether this removes the last remaining evidence for cosmic acceleration and therefore for dark energy itself.  
- Discussion of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and nicotinamide riboside (NR) as anti-aging supplements: NR is patent-encumbered, NMN is not, both are being marketed after high-dose mouse studies showing sirtuin activation—compared to the earlier resveratrol hype cycle.  
- Open question raised about why NAD+ itself is not used directly, and clarification that the compounds are distinct metabolites with different pharmacokinetics.  
- Library-digitization thread: US courts currently treat lending of e-books on SD cards as outside the first-sale doctrine, making public-library circulation of digital media legally risky; ISBNs cannot be assigned to mutable hard drives.  
- Academic-publishing critique: STM journal revenue reached $23.5 B in 2019, with $9.4 B from English-language journals alone; participants lament publicly funded university research being locked behind paywalls.  
- Link shared to Guardian article (2017) on how the profitable scientific-publishing model harms science.  
- Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) discussed: NbN devices achieve 67 % detection efficiency at 1064 nm and count rates in the hundreds of MHz when operated at ~10 K.