I've referenced this idea that Google didn't throw away the HCU on "It's New" (with @rustybrick, @gregfinn, @CrystalontheWeb www.wix.com/seo/learn/resource/its-new-daily-seo-news) a few times.
Re-reading Google's blog post on the March update and they explicitly state:
We're bringing what we learned from… pic.twitter.com/QT7pudWgMl