Argh. I got home, opened up the right text file "StellarAbility Types.txt" and found the ruins ability. There isn't a 0 value in number of techs. All the unique worlds have the same description text, so maybe the one where you don't get any tech is when you pick up a unique.
By saving the game and reloading, I -have- managed to get different techs on the worlds where you get a group of techs. It tends to repeat a bit, though.
Though, of course, doing that outside of experimentation is cheating.
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"What do -you- want?" "I'd like to live -just- long enough
to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a
pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors
come with too high a price. I would look up into your lifeless
eyes and wave like this..." *waggle* "...can you and your
associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?"