• Spider-silk production: participants concluded that low-tech “spider ranching” inside PVC tree structures is presently cheaper and more scalable than cell-free peptide synthesis or transgenic silkworms, while noting that glycine-rich repeat sequences—not overall length—determine silk mechanics and that enzymatic ligation of large subunits remains unreliable.

• DIY laser-cutting roadmap: the group is sourcing 1 W 405 nm laser diodes (~$70–$100 each) to ablate silicone microfluidic channels, debating phase-locking multiple diodes to avoid coherence problems, and considering a hybrid approach using a Blu-ray diode cutter plus a CO₂ tube system with photolithography add-on; CO₂ is disfavored for fine microfluidics due to diffraction-limited spot size and expensive ZnSe optics.

• Open-access publishing critique: a Harvard memo circulated showing Elsevier and similar aggregators charging up to $40 k per journal with 35 % profit margins, prompting discussion of the mismatch between publisher costs and actual value added.

• Neurotechnology and perception: a Mindflex EEG toy teardown revealed that the device responds identically to a human scalp and a damp kitchen sponge, suggesting its “brain-control” output is largely random noise; participants also speculated on whether the visual cortex could learn to interpret novel frequency channels for future bionic-eye designs.

• Longevity and safety debates: an article flagged potential methodological flaws in C₆₀ lifespan-extension studies, urging caution for biohackers considering C₆₀ supplementation; safety of the hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier Hemopure was questioned, with suggestions to encapsulate the molecule in nanoscale, donut-shaped carriers to mitigate adverse effects.

• FBI-sponsored DIYbio conference: a small, invitation-only event capped at 40 attendees is being organized in San Francisco for June, followed by a two-day hackathon; Joseph Jackson (Open Science Summit / BioCurious) is coordinating invitations and confirmed self-funded participants will be accepted.

• Visual phenomena and retinal research: participants explored the “entoptic field” phenomenon—large, wave-like visual patterns converging on the fovea during exertion—attributing it to white-blood-cell flow in retinal capillaries, and recalled childhood experiments inducing phosphenes by eye pressure, locating a review paper (S030326470800035X) on Scribd for further reading.

• Miscellaneous tools and references: shared resources included the OSIRIS-project LCOS laser-projector paper, TI’s TALP1000B DMD (2400 Hz pre-programmed patterns), DigiKey’s TI DLP pico-projector page, a used lab incubator on SlapSale for <$100, and warnings that /r/scholar is moving to private file-host links, increasing the risk of zero-byte or honeypot files.