- Fraser Stoddart, Nobel laureate (2016) and inventor of the rotaxane molecular machine architecture, passed away—marking the loss of a key figure in artificial molecular machines.  
- A new review paper on “Gadolinium as an Emerging Microcontaminant in Water Resources” was shared (https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/9/2/93), highlighting MRI contrast agents as a growing source of rare-earth pollution and prompting discussion of post-MRI urine collection to prevent environmental release.  
- Participants noted that >50 % of all rare-earth elements ever mined have been extracted since 2000, underscoring the rapid acceleration of rare-earth demand and its environmental consequences.  
- Jason Crawford’s “Roots of Progress” manifesto (https://rootsofprogress.org/manifesto) and a follow-up post on “Levers for Biological Progress” (https://progressforum.org/posts/LJPaNfbLeYeHz6Ahi/levers-for-biological-progress) were circulated, arguing that even a 10 % speed-up in core biotech tools (PCR, cloning, CRISPR) could save millions of researcher-hours annually across the U.S. alone.  
- Skepticism was voiced about the practical impact of faster PCR: a simple light-bulb-and-capillary-tube setup already delivers rapid cycles, but adoption is limited because gains only matter if they eliminate task-switching delays.