- A newly reported “intrinsic superconducting diode effect” (Phys.org article) was highlighted as a potential building block for future cryogenic logic, with the observation that a transistor can be viewed—albeit loosely—as two such diodes back-to-back.  
- Participants debated the practical difference between the diode-pair analogy and real transistor behavior, noting that simply wiring two diodes together does not yield a working transistor.  
- Sci-Hub released an updated version (sci-hub.se / sci-hub.ru) featuring real-time and monthly download statistics; a tweeted screenshot showed tens of millions of papers fetched in the prior 30 days.  
- Discussion turned to geopolitical risk: initial concern that China might suppress Sci-Hub shifted to the view that the United States—home to major journal publishers like Elsevier and Thomson Reuters—poses the more credible threat of legal or political action.  
- The exchange underscored ongoing tension between open-access advocates and incumbent academic publishers, framing Sci-Hub’s metrics as both a barometer of global research demand and a potential catalyst for publisher lobbying.