• Evonetix and Analog Devices announced a joint project to build a “gene foundry on a chip” that can synthesize full-length double-stranded DNA (including introns) in three days on a benchtop device, using thermally-controlled enzymatic synthesis on a CMOS array that is claimed to be ~10× faster than current phosphoramidite methods.  
• Participants debated whether rapid gene-length synthesis is truly impressive; docl noted that the average human gene spans ~12 exons plus long introns, so 3-day turnaround implies ~5–100 s per base depending on what is counted, and cooling delays may dominate.  
• nmz787 ordered EPC Gen 2 RFID tags and a $65 eBay reader to experiment with personal inventory tracking, planning either phone-based interaction or a custom handheld UI.  
• A long discussion on metabolic physiology covered: (a) documented cases where fasting can kill or permanently injure people with certain enzyme defects (e.g., Inuit CPT1A deficiency leading to rhabdomyolysis); (b) evidence that temporary caloric restriction often triggers lasting hormonal changes (leptin, ghrelin) that drive post-restriction weight regain plus extra fat; (c) skepticism that simple “overeating” explains the regain.  
• The group speculated on authoritarian applications of metabolic control, including China’s social-credit system hypotically denying food purchases to individuals whose body-mass index exceeds state limits.  
• kanzure floated the idea of “separate blood-circuits” as a speculative intervention for cognitive enhancement by preventing neuro-metabolic starvation in “idiots.”  
• jrayhawk linked a Diabetes journal paper on hypothalamic inflammation as a possible mechanism linking obesity, insulin resistance, and appetite dysregulation.  
• Conversation drifted into historical and philosophical territory, citing the Roman virtue of gravitas, the Cynic Diogenes, and the fall of Constantinople in 1453 as a geopolitical inflection point that spurred European maritime exploration.