- Foldit gamers solved a decade-old protein-folding problem, becoming the first online players to crack a long-standing scientific challenge; their usernames appear as co-authors in a Nature Structural & Molecular Biology paper (http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/zoran/NSMBfoldit-2011.pdf).  
- Discussion of patent work-arounds: one proposal is to operate in perpetual “research” mode, exploiting the patent exemption for research use, though its legal robustness is questioned.  
- A DIY-bio proposal outlines an iterative “learning” bioreactor: start with a low-yield plant cell line, apply genome-wide RNAi to modulate expression, measure metabolite output, and let an algorithm guide successive knock-downs toward maximal yield without being limited to known biology.  
- Practical hurdles noted for the bioreactor idea include the need for cheap DNA synthesis, high-throughput screening, and methods to up-regulate—not just knock down—genes.  
- Magnetic separation techniques are briefly explored for isolating solids from liquids, with the caveat that strong pulsed fields may be required and electric-field approaches might be more appropriate for charged species.  
- A short debate questions whether “open source” still applies if source code is released only to paying customers; the consensus leans toward “no.”  
- Interest in ultra-short sleep: a WebMD article on the DEC2 gene mutation that lets carriers function normally on ~6 hours of sleep is shared as a potential transhumanist target (http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20090813/gene-cuts-sleep-need).  
- Project Gado (http://projectgado.org) is introduced as an open-source robotic book-scanning initiative aimed at digitizing archives.