- Neal Stephenson’s Lamina1 launched an investment fund dedicated to open-metaverse projects, linking Snow Crash’s vision to real-world funding (Slashdot article shared).  
- A resting-state fMRI study (doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2015.01.009) reports cognitive enhancement in healthy young adults after hyperbaric oxygen therapy; anecdotal uptake by Chinese families the night before the Gaokao exam was noted.  
- Discussion of hybridogenesis in European water frogs (Pelophylax spp.) as a natural example of hemiclonal reproduction, plus historical notes on Lazzaro Spallanzani’s 1777 frog contraception experiments using tiny rubber pants.  
- The goliath frog (Conraua goliath) was highlighted—specimens can reach 3.5 ft and 8 lb, roughly the size of a house cat, prompting surprise at its existence.  
- Germinal vesicle transfer (GVT) was introduced as a mitochondrial-replacement technique; a 26-minute talk by John Zhang was linked (YouTube).  
- A “carbon currency” proposal was floated: replacing the gold standard with a monetary base tied to verifiable carbon emissions, addressing the “money is energy” doomer narrative while acknowledging future risks if atmospheric CO₂ becomes too scarce.