- A new NeRF-based computer-vision pipeline (“FruitNeRF”) can count individual fruit in 3-D directly from images, with code and paper available at https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.06190 and https://meyerls.github.io/fruit_nerf/.  
- SakanaAI’s open-source “AI-Scientist” framework lets Claude-3.5 autonomously design, run, and write up full ML research papers, raising questions about the future flood of AI-generated publications and the need for LLM-assisted peer review.  
- Discussion of DIY micronutrient testing: no widely available at-home kits were identified; options include consulting a nutrigenetics expert, visiting a dietician, or running a 23andMe raw-data file through the free Genetic Genie portal to spot vitamin-pathway polymorphisms.  
- A concrete-pipe-as-money thought experiment proposed creating artificially scarce, divisible “rai-cylinder” tokens—large calcium-carbonate tubes whose slices would trade as bearer assets—to troll securities law and explore non-abstract commodity money.  
- Legal debate referenced the SEC’s stance that almost all cryptocurrencies are securities except Bitcoin, and analyzed how the Howey test applies to novel physical or tokenized assets.  
- Practical advice on supplementation: blanket megadosing every vitamin to the upper daily limit was discouraged; instead, targeted testing (genomic or blood) and individualized dosing (e.g., higher vitamin D for VDR mutations) were recommended.