- A sub-$30 k open-source DNA oligo synthesizer using on-chip phosphoramidite chemistry is being designed to decentralize DNA production, with the team invited to apply to Lemnos Labs’ $50 k hardware accelerator.  
- RTL-SDR dongles were identified as a game-changing, low-cost entry point for GHz-range software-defined-radio experimentation, removing the traditional ADC barrier for GNU Radio users.  
- Spider-silk bioproduction was outlined: the full 300–320 kDa dragline proteins exceed E. coli’s capacity, so the plan is to express the two native silk proteins in SF9 insect cells and spin fibers via an artificial spinneret.  
- A DIY automated liquid-handling robot is being redesigned to cost 1/60th of commercial rigs by replacing Arduinos with custom microcontrollers, threaded-rod linear motion, and peristaltic pumps.  
- Regenerative-medicine ideas included using decellularized pig kidneys as low-cost xenotransplant scaffolds and the “gut-on-a-chip” microphysiological system, with frustration over paywalled decellularization literature.  
- A tDCS device was detailed: a JFET-based constant-current source (1 µA–1 mA) powered by a 4 V battery, using copper-tape electrodes and a 3-D-printed mount for safe, low-cost neuromodulation.  
- DIY blood diagnostics were explored—hacking glucose meters for vitamin-D assays, curcuma-based pH-indicator strips, and a benchtop finger-prick analyzer—alongside webcam-to-microscope hacks for quantitative colorimetry.  
- The ethics of human enhancement were debated, distinguishing incremental, individual-choice enhancements (prosthetics, nootropics, gene therapy) from speculative or coercive “post-human” futures.  
- A curated longevity paper repository (diyhpl.us/~bryan/papers2/longevity/) and open-source analysis tools (GNU R, Python/SciPy) were shared to support reproducible aging research without proprietary software.