- A grassroots open-source atomic-force microscope (AFM) project is underway that replaces the usual laser/photodiode deflection sensor with a capacitive readout, uses hand-cut piezo actuators for scanning, microcentrifuge tubes as sample holders, and a simple screw-driven z-axis to keep the build within hobbyist budgets.  
- A recently circulated paper demonstrated that individual bacteria can survive more than 50 consecutive punctures by an AFM tip at 20–40 punctures per µm²; the authors provide MatLab code to extract mechanical parameters such as elasticity and critical rupture pressure, making the dataset a ready-made benchmark for DIY AFM builders.  
- Participants floated the speculative idea of “printing” sandstone megastructures in deserts by injecting bacteria and nutrients, with wind-powered kite or strandbeest-like vehicles acting as mobile dispensers; skepticism centered on achieving uniform coverage and the structural weakness of biomineralized sandstone.  
- A New Scientist article on engineered yeast and bacteria that directly excrete gasoline was shared, but the group questioned claims that the fuel will be “cheaper than oil” once subsidies and externalized environmental costs are factored in.  
- The Q-Link “EMF-protection” pendant was dismissed as pseudoscience after teardown revealed only an unconnected coil and resistor; the discussion pivoted to legitimate open-source EEG and rTMS projects as safer, evidence-based neuro-modulation alternatives.  
- High-value imaging targets proposed for the DIY AFM include graphene, liquid zeolite, DNA conductivity maps, bacteriophage morphological diversity, and real-time bacterial membrane dynamics, all of which could be tackled once the instrument reaches sub-nanometer resolution.  
- A member offered surplus lab hardware—piezo discs, optics, and precision stages—to the community, prompting debate on creating a shared physical fab-lab space and improving local coordination beyond ad-hoc mailing lists or Twitter threads.  
- An algal-biomass extraction presentation (http://heybryan.org/bioreactor/2008-10-21%20Algal%20biomass%20extraction%20presentation.ppt) was circulated, highlighting pressure-cell lysis—forcing cells through a micro-orifice under high pressure—as a scalable disruption method; participants also plan to test osmotic-pressure chambers that exploit hypotonic shock for gentler cell rupture.