• GPT-5 access is currently split: the full model requires an OpenAI API key, while a lighter “gpt-5-chat” variant is available on OpenRouter; ChatGPT.com still defaults to GPT-3.5 for free users.  
• Channel members are building MuaddibLLM, an IRC bot whose modes (!S sarcastic, !s serious/agentic with web tools, !p Perplexity) are case-sensitive and causing UX friction.  
• A proposal was floated to create a private, pro-DIYbio LLM benchmarking suite so that frontier models cannot game the evaluation and so that biology-specific refusals can be tracked.  
• Current frontier models (tested with GPT-5 and MuaddibLLM) refuse numerous biology questions—including oligonucleotide synthesis, Agrobacterium culture, somatic cell fusion, and germline work—citing safety concerns even for well-known protocols.  
• Discussion of why 7-ketocholesterol removal is not a major pharma target concluded that the molecule is a non-enzymatic oxidation by-product with no clean target, messy biomarkers, and poor ROI compared with statins; key references are PMC6926354 and REM-22-0005.  
• Intel’s sudden removal of CEO Pat Gelsinger was lamented; participants suggested “save-Intel” public plans such as replacing management with engineers or going fabless.  
• Kimi-K2, a new open-weights model from MoonshotAI, was praised for quality; links to its Hugging Face repo and 44-page technical report were shared.  
• Vision restoration via microbial rhodopsin (2006 paper PMC1459045) and UV-resistant or temporary skin-repigmentation therapies were highlighted as neglected enhancement opportunities.  
• DIY biology links circulated: L. reuteri yogurt protocol on consolemods.org and CDC/ABSA biosafety guidance for E. coli cultivation.