• The channel watched and archived the U.S. Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues live webcast on synthetic biology and human enhancement, circulating real-time transcripts and later emailing a full Day-2 transcript to the diybio mailing list.

• Speakers at the commission invoked the “Gutenberg of biology” metaphor, referenced the EU SynBioSafe project and its documentary trailer, and promoted the Bio-Fiction film festival as key resources for public engagement on synthetic biology.

• A rediscovered WWII experiment that shifted human vision ~20 nm into the infrared via vitamin-A analogues was discussed, alongside modern transgenic-mouse work that adds human cone photopigments to create new color vision.

• DIYbio-NYC published a reflective critique of “web-centric” culture, while mainstream outlets like BusinessWeek and ScienceInsider framed DIYbio as both an innovation boon and a biosecurity risk.

• Lecithin (phosphatidylcholine) was highlighted as a dietary precursor that raises brain acetylcholine, with anecdotal evidence that it prevents “piracetam headaches,” linking to ongoing research on sustained attention and Adderall use.

• A draft “human_brain.yaml” open atlas is being created to provide machine-readable, semantically queryable 3-D brain data, aiming to overcome inconsistent coordinate systems and coarse fMRI overlays.

• Participants compared the envisioned brain-wiring diagram to metabolic pathway databases like KEGG and Reactome, emphasizing the need for dynamic tracking of neurotransmitter flow, excitatory/inhibitory connections, and signaling cascades.

• Discussion surfaced around gaps in open-source hardware licensing and the opaque planning of the first Open Hardware Summit, whose CFP deadline had already passed despite later claims it was “not officially open.”