- **DIY DNA sequencing via AFM cantilever mass detection**: Participants brainstormed a novel sequencing method using an AFM cantilever to measure force changes after selectively cleaving single nucleotides from a DNA strand, noting that while DNA mass-spec sequencing exists, AFM-based approaches have not yet been demonstrated.

- **Microfluidic Sanger sequencer**: A link to an image of a microfluidic Sanger sequencer was shared, highlighting ongoing interest in miniaturized, open-source sequencing hardware.

- **Open-source AFM construction files**: Discussion referenced publicly available CAD files and build instructions for a home-built atomic force microscope, lowering the barrier to entry for nanoscale experimentation.

- **Quake lab paper repository**: A large collection of Stephen Quake’s microfluidics papers—including “A synthetic Escherichia coli predator-prey ecosystem”—was linked, providing a resource for researchers exploring lab-on-a-chip and synthetic biology applications.

- **Metagenomics cloning bottleneck**: A participant described the challenge of purifying and segregating individual amplicons from a metagenomic PCR mixture for Sanger sequencing and speculated that polony sequencing might circumvent the problem.

- **Genome organization and selective advantage**: The group debated whether clustering functionally related genes (e.g., neuron-related genes) in contiguous genomic regions confers a selective advantage, concluding that such organization is not generally observed.

- **Funding self-experimentation**: Legal questions were raised about private individuals (“science patrons” or angel investors) funding risky self-experimentation, with reassurance that funders, rather than experimenters, are more likely to face legal exposure.

- **Nursebot project**: A link to CMU’s Nursebot project was dropped, illustrating early efforts in assistive robotics for elder care and health monitoring.

- **Einstein DNA collection idea**: A participant expressed interest in extracting DNA from artifacts at the Einstein museum, underscoring the community’s fascination with historical genomics and celebrity genetics.