• Spider-silk bioproduction is being pursued through multiple open-source routes: chloroplast transformation in duckweed or tobacco for 10–30 % total soluble protein, transgenic pitcher plants that secrete silk into sterile fluid for easy harvest, and even communal farming of the social spider Anelosimus eximius as a stop-gap while biotech yields improve.

• A low-cost, open-source microfluidic chip fabrication pipeline is under active design, comparing CO₂ laser ablation of pre-cured PDMS, Blu-ray 405 nm diode etching (<1 µm spot), and masked DLP photopolymerization; the goal is to shrink a 1-million-drop chip from ~131 min to 10–30 min using FPGA or Propeller-based motion controllers.

• gedankenstuecke is developing a generalized, web-based GWAS platform that accepts genotype–phenotype data from any species and runs unpublished algorithms from the Tübingen Max Planck Institute, extending the open-data ethos of OpenSNP.

• Participants debated the feasibility of DIY diamond synthesis via chemical-vapor-deposition, discussing portable reactor designs, De Beers’ historical suppression of small-scale producers, and tactics for distributing output covertly to avoid market attention.

• Neuroscientific evidence (Barbey et al., Brain 2012) was shared showing that general intelligence and executive function map to a left-lateralized fronto-parietal network, prompting discussion on how such findings could inform future BCI or cognitive-enhancement strategies.

• A geolocated AR-content service was proposed that stores vector graphics or hyperlinks at GPS coordinates and serves them through open-source SDKs (Android-AR-Kit, ARQuery), aiming for an open alternative to commercial AR cloud platforms.

• Synthetic Genomics and IDT’s partnership was highlighted as evidence of industrial-scale DNA synthesis (36 k custom oligos/day), reinforcing that DIYbio projects can now access commercial oligo libraries rivaling institutional core facilities.

• Steve Jurvetson’s personal pandemic preparedness—stockpiling Spam and pool water—was cited as an anecdote illustrating how Singularity-oriented investors hedge against systemic risks.