- The channel dissected Venter’s “synthetic cell” announcement, clarifying that the team had merely transplanted a chemically synthesized bacterial genome into an existing cell rather than creating a fully synthetic, self-replicating organism.  
- OpenPCR.org, an open-source PCR thermocycler project led by Josh Perfetto, was spotlighted as a low-cost route to community DNA amplification, while participants debated the timing of purchasing DNA sequencers and synthesizers given rapid hardware evolution.  
- A member reported success in writing replacement firmware for the Emotiv EPOC EEG headset and is preparing a proposal to DARPA’s BAA-10-69 “Cortical Processor” program.  
- The Austin Hackerspace is being used to integrate a newly acquired 6-DOF PUMA 560 industrial robot arm; short-term goals include turning it into a “6-DOF lamp,” using it for pick-and-place tasks, and having it draw its own schematics once controller cards arrive.  
- An informal liquidation warehouse in North Austin—run by an ex-UTexas molecular-biology PhD and a programmer—was identified as a source for surplus robotics and future biotech equipment, forming a grassroots supply chain for open-source biology and hardware projects.  
- Participants floated an “adopt-a-lab-mouse” program to distribute surplus laboratory-grade mice to DIY researchers, anticipating a large influx of animals.  
- kanzure’s curated graphene page (http://heybryan.org/graphene.html) was shared, highlighting graphene’s potential role in next-generation genetic sequencing and prompting renewed discussion of its broad applications.