- Nebula.org’s new “anonymous” whole-genome sequencing service is discussed; participants note that California law still forces providers like 23andMe to bank DNA with full PII for 10 years and make it available to authorities, and Nebula itself offers no explicit promise of data deletion, prompting suggestions to use fake credentials when ordering.  
- A debate arises over legitimate vs. objectionable law-enforcement uses of retained DNA, with one side citing post-conviction exonerations and national-security needs, while others argue the real intent is surveillance and control.  
- docl proposes a hybrid asteroid-mining architecture that merges an ion-propulsion stage with an onboard ion-refining (mass-spectrometer/calutron) system, using the bulk metallic asteroid mass as reaction mass while concentrating platinum-group and rare-earth elements into a much smaller return capsule.  
- Discussion of economic viability: rare-earth prices are only ~$1,500 per tonne, far too low to justify space mining, whereas platinum at ~$30 k/kg could be profitable; nickel-iron propellant could still add value if delivered cheaply to cislunar industry.  
- Quick technical calculation: expelling 1,000× the final payload mass at 4 km/s exhaust velocity yields ≈27.6 km/s total Δv, enough for ambitious return trajectories even with low-value propellant.  
- Yann LeCun’s tweet is relayed, noting that the final EU AI Act negotiations preserved exemptions for open-source foundation models after lobbying by French, German, and Italian delegations.